Broken Bow Book 2: Shadows of the Hunt
by Xed Alpha
Summary: Condemned to the insanity of Camp Half-Blood. Armani is swept up in an infuriating world of curious deities, resentful half-bloods, prophecies of doom and ghosts from the past. Why can't people leave him alone? Beta by Shrrgnien. Veritas OC Award Winner.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Camp Crazy

[A/N] Again, with the help of my splendid beta Shrrgnien, it's time to do a full reupload of this story, same as it's predecessor. All kudos to the beta for working out the many grammatical kinks (there was a lot of ironing to do) but there we go. So I'll be posting the beta version of this fic up over the next day or so. Hope you enjoy!

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Camp Crazy**

_I HATE dead things!_

Now this fact may not surprise you. I am, after all, a child of a nature goddess, so while being pinned to a tree by three decomposing zombies would hardly be a pleasant experience for anyone, it was _particularly _unpleasant for me.

I struggled in vain. The best I could do from my position was to summon an arrow, but all I managed to do with that was stab one of my captors in the eye and that only seemed to make it angrier.

The remainder of the dozen undead that had pursued me through the forest suddenly parted like air around a flame.

Nico Di Angelo stood in their wake, wearing a vicious vampire-like smirk. His Stygian iron blade glinted dully in the night as he twirled it menacingly in his small hand.

"I cannot help but get the feeling I've done something to antagonize you," I said blandly. (I wasn't the type to resort to vain threats like 'You're going to regret this!')

His brow twitched and the zombie holding my upper body increased the pressure up to the point where breathing became a difficult task.

"Do you know what I am?" Nico enquired evenly, once he was sure I was uncomfortable enough.

"Oh, I don't know…" I grunted, "…A crazy person?" the jibe was unwise, as the pressure increased again until I was seeing spots.

Nico just smiled coolly, and said in a tone that _really_ disturbed me, "Come now, Armani, _didn't you know?_ We're all mad here…"

_You can tell a person's one arrow short of a quiver when they start to paraphrase Alice in Wonderland._

But I really am getting quite ahead of myself. Perhaps it would be better if I first explained how this little altercation with this simply _charming_ young half-blood first came about…

-A-

_A few weeks earlier…_

It was childish to postpone the inevitable. I had been on the hunt for over a month now. I had a few drachmas in my bag, so buying some of the supplies I needed wasn't too much trouble. As for survival, well…I think my scent was getting more appetizing, as the frequency with which mythical beasts were attacking me was increasing rapidly.

I slept originally in simple encampments, but as things got worse I realized it was dangerous to remain on the ground and resorted to spending the night in the occasional wood nymph's tree.

They seemed to like me well enough, which I guess was natural considering what I am. Although I _did_ wake up one morning to find one of them had braided one of my front bangs. This frustrated me somewhat. When I confronted the small creature she simply blushed and ran back into her tree, giggling like a schoolgirl. I'm really not sure what kind of networking ability they had, but it seemed to be a running gag for them to rebraid that one annoying bang every time I slept. So in the end I just caved and left the damned thing braded. It was the price I paid for a decent night's sleep, after all.

It was the night I was ambushed by a Fury that I decided my current method of laying low was starting to fail, especially if the servants of Hades were now starting to sniff me out at random.

I was half-asleep when she knocked me clear out of my tree, and I barely managed to roll into a crouching position. I could sense the little nymph was trembling behind the trunk of her tree in fear. The beast was obviously even less appealing to her than it was to me.

"Death!" the fury screeched as she hovered menacingly in the air above me.

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

She extended a claw-like finger, "You have the stench of death about you!"

An ambiguous phrase, but I paid it no heed for now; I would at a later date. "Is there something I can do for you?"

She cackled menacingly, "I have been following your delicious scent for days now; I had completed my mission for his lordship when I smelled your simply delectable aroma; a half-blood whose very _existence_ is steeped in death!" She licked her disfigured lips with a slavering black tongue.

_Ranged target_

Before she began her strike I dug my heels in the ground and in one fluid movement I formed my bow, nocked an arrow, and took aim at the fury.

Her ghastly eyes widened in shock, and she paused in midair.

I could feel the silver aura of the hunt, granted by my mother's charm, flowing through me and over my skin.

There was a form of disbelieving recognition in her hawk-like eyes. "But for you to have that power…" the fury hissed, "…That's _impossible_!"

A small smile twitched at the corner of my lips, "If that's the case, my friend, then this won't hurt a bit."

I loosed the arrow and it stuck the fury between her stunned eyes. An instant later it was raining dust. It glistened with odd beauty in the light that emanated from my skin.

I opened my hand and my bow disappeared with a silver flash, the aura around me disappearing.

_I've never seen a reaction quite that strong before. _My mother's words echoed in my head as I stared at my hand while the glow faded. It would've been nice if my mother had _asked_ before giving me the power of a Hunter to add to my own. I mean _sure_, the added strength and stamina was nice, as was the bonus of never getting sick. But the novelty of lighting up like a Christmas tree every time I got tense was _really_ starting to wear thin.

I turned to glance behind me to check the nymph girl was alright when a hollow sound echoed through the clearing. In a flash my bow was back in my hand and I had swung around, a silver arrow aimed upwards into the trees.

A snowy white owl sat on one of the branches, looking down at me with large inquisitive eyes.

_Damn it, calm down!_

I took a steadying breath and relaxed the bowstring. Shaking my head, I dropped my hands to the side, but kept both bow and arrow in hand, "That's what I get for letting my mind wander." I glanced back up into the trees and my brow furrowed in confusion; the owl was gone, without so much as a sound of moving branches or flutter of wings…

_Something's wrong._

I couldn't quite relax; something was telling me I _still_ needed to be on guard.

Another hoot sounded, directly behind me this time. Again I swung around, leveling my arrow at the source of the sound…and froze dead.

_What?_

The same owl, undoubtedly, but now it was resting on the extended forearm of a woman; a woman with honey-blonde hair wearing a pristine white business suit. Not the sort of attire one normally sees on a person out in the middle of a forest.

I stepped slowly out of the tree's shadow and into the moonlight. Additional strength from exposure surged into me, every fiber in my being telling me that I would need it should it come to a fight.

The woman seemed more interested in the barn owl at the moment, as she allowed it to peck away at the seeds she held in her hand.

The woman didn't look up from feeding the bird as she spoke in a level unnaturally professional tone. "Are you as adept with that weapon as your posture states?" she enquired, extending one of her fingers slightly at my bow.

My thumb gripped the arrow tighter, "You might say that. In fact I can say without any ego that at _this _range I could most likely perform a successful appendectomy on you with it," I responded in a low warning tone.

"Indeed?" she responded in a tone of polite disinterest. The owl fluttered away a moment later and landed on a tree branch to begin observing me again.

The woman calmly strode over to a tree stump and settled down on it, folding her fingers together on her lap. She had the aura of a teacher about her, and I felt that if she had a desk in front of her right now she'd be reflexively straightening her papers.

"_Now,_" she began, finally regarding me, "Do you know who I am?"

Now, when someone asks if you know who they are, it usually means they expect you should. And so I looked at her. I immediately dismissed 'lost businesswoman with pet owl'; something told me she wasn't the sort of person to lose her way.

"Indeed I am not."

_Did she…oh, you have _got _to be kidding me!_

The barest hint of a smile twitched at the corner of her lips, "I think you will find I rarely kid."

There was only one way to confirm it, and so I read her like I read most people, by their eyes. I immediately let out an involuntary shudder.

_Cold_… Such cold, analytical grey eyes…peering right into me as if reading my very essence and picking apart my whole existence…

_Blank your mind!_

I immediately quelled my emotions and allowed the memory of Apollo's song to once again fill my head, its meaningless warmth setting aside all other thoughts as I kept my bow aimed at the woman.

"A mental defense? Now that _is_ impressive," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yeah? Well, when you live with a god for over a decade you learn to keep your mind closed off when you need to. As I guessed; it doesn't just work with Apollo and m- _Artemis_, but with other Olympians as well. So if I might enquire, to what do I owe the distinct honor, _Lady Athena_?"

The goddess inclined her head acceptingly, "Firstly, if I might ask you to lower your weapon. You have my word that I bear you no malice. If anything, Artemis and I have always had quite an amicable relationship. Would you, as her child, wish to change that?" It was one of those occasions where a god wasn't so much asking a question as daring you to cross them.

_Wait, did she just refer to me as-_

After a moment, I lowered my bow. It shimmered and disappeared, along with the arrow. "So, you know, do you?"

The deity smirked slightly, "Actually it was little more than a rumor, but I thank you for confirming it for me."

…_Damn_.

The Goddess of Wisdom's smirk settled back into a small smile again, "Oh, I wouldn't feel too badly. I am the only one with the exception of Apollo and Artemis who now know for sure. That excludes Lord Zeus, of course."

I still felt bad about being so easily fooled. I gritted my teeth, "At the risk of sounding insolent, and at the _further_ risk of being turned into a spider or gorgon, might I ask what exactly it is you want?"

She inclined her head curtly, "Mere scientific curiosity," she said as she pushed herself up onto her feet and regarded me. "_So,_ a child of Artemis, now that _is _interesting. So rare is it for something genuinely new to appear on the playing field," she said, rubbing her chin in thought.

I backed up a step. I found being analyzed by her somewhat discomforting. Then she added, "And Artemis remains a virgin…"

"As do you," I felt I had to interject.

Her grey eyes narrowed again, "So your method of creation was similar to that of my own children?"

I nodded my head, "A combination of essences, yes. But whilst your children are born from thought, I was born from the very life force of my parents."

"That seems somewhat brutal and ungraceful," she noted with distaste.

I smiled acceptingly. "It was. In fact, it wasn't even done correctly the first time around, although that was sort of intentional. I was almost destroyed by the imperfections in my makeup, until my mother fixed me…so to speak."

"Artemis did this? How borderline uncharacteristic of her. I would've thought she'd simply have allowed you to die."

My eyes narrowed this time, "Then I suppose you simply don't know her that well after all, do you?"

I saw her brow twitch in irritation, "I meant no insult. I was merely stating a personal opinion, so guard your tongue, child of Artemis," she said tensely.

_Careful…_

"Armani," I suddenly said, glancing off to the side.

"Excuse me?"

"Armani Dove… That's my name, and I apologize, Lady Athena." I suppose volunteering the name was my small equivalent to an olive branch.

She nodded her head acceptingly. Her eyes had softened somewhat, at least. "Walk with me, Armani Dove," she said, and wordlessly I took position at her side as she strode slowly and calmly down the forest path. "Firstly, I accept your apology, and secondly, in return for the knowledge you have given me on this night I shall offer you some words of advice."

"Very well…"

"Firstly, I would recommend you follow the advice given to you by Apollo and go to Camp Half-Blood. Your continued procrastination on the issue will soon begin to endanger your life."

"How did you-" She just cut me off with a raised hand and slightly ambiguous smile.

"The beasts will keep coming, and in greater numbers. Your combat prowess is impressive, I will admit, as I have been watching you for some days now. However there is a point where even you will be overwhelmed as word spreads amongst the beasts. I have no doubt they will soon begin pursuing you in larger numbers. Even the power of the hunt cannot protect you indefinitely."

She was basically just telling me what I already knew. But the fact that I had to be told by the Goddess of Wisdom before I listened was seriously pointing out that I should probably stop being so stubborn. Suddenly something she had just said occurred to me.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'observing me for some days'?"

She just smiled that unreadable smile again. "Like I said; scientific curiosity"

_Okay…That's disturbing._

I decided it was about time to part; being in her presence made me quite nervous. "Well, I suppose I should say-" she raised a hand to silence me, obviously she wasn't finished.

"The second thing I wanted to do was leave you with was a warning." I stopped suddenly. She could clearly sense me becoming guarded again as she glanced back with a reassuring smile."…A friendly one, I assure you."

"Okay…" We began walking again.

"Beware Aphrodite." I'm not sure where it began or ended, but a shudder went through my very being at those words. "You are safe for now, as she knows not of your identity, but she will inevitably find out sooner or later, considering your now infinite longevity; an issue we will no doubt have to discuss in the near future with Artemis, but regardless. When Aphrodite _does_ learn of you, be on your guard. I have no doubt she will immediately make you her next _pet project_ and will pursue you relentlessly, and I am _not_ talking about the pleasant way in which mortals dream she might pursue them."

I glanced to the side nervously. "Yes, I've heard stories of Aphrodite's attempts to get one over on my mother. It never seems to end well for the pawns involved."

Athena nodded. "The stories are indeed quite tragic."

"And what was that about my _infinite longevity_ being an issue that you and the others will have to discuss with my mother?"

She waved it off, "Nothing you need concern yourself about just yet. I suggest you worry more about your current predicament."

I breathed a long, defeated sigh, "Understood"

"I'm glad you do" She nodded her head and with that she turned about to walk back in the opposite direction. The owl fluttered down out of nowhere to land on her shoulder and, with a blaze of light, she was gone.

With a start, I realized I was somehow on the edge of the forest. I strode into the open and spied a large hill not far off, an abnormally large pine tree on its peak. And with a groan of frustration I realized what had happened.

_Athena…_

Don't ask me how, but during our little walk she had somehow managed to ferry me _miles_ off course.

I frowned; as far as I knew Athena had no such power for crossing vast distances through the woods.

_No, but you do_.

I groaned; not _ferried_ off course, just _led _off course.

She obviously didn't enjoy giving advice if she wasn't sure the person she gave it to wouldn't be forced to take it. I suppose, in her mind, she thought she was doing me a favor.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any…" With a dreary sigh I treaded across the grass, over the road and began glumly climbing the hill towards the huge pine.

-A-

The top of the hill gave me a decent perspective of the camp. I could see a lake, batches of cabins, a single large house, climbing walls, what looked like a dining area, a fighting arena and a large forest. All in all, it looked just like what one would expect of a summer camp…an Ancient Greece-themed summer camp anyways.

_Behind!_

I ducked down just as a large claw swung by my head and embedded itself in the earth behind me. Leaping back to a safe distance I got a good look at my attacker.

_Dragon!_

"A _dragon_? What kind of nutbar uses a _dragon_ for a guard at a _summer camp_?" I began to draw my sword but then noticed that the creature had seemingly lost all interest in me now that I was a good distance from the pine, and was now in the process of grumpily coiling itself up underneath the tree's lower branches.

_Okay…note to self; avoid the tree._

I began calmly but cautiously strolling down the path from the tree to the camp. It was the dead of night (well, about half past eleven to be precise) so the place was quiet as the grave. It didn't seem so-

"EEEEEEEE!" This almost girlish cry was, in fact, me, as what felt like ten thousand volts of electricity shot up from my lower back and brought me to my knees. "What in _HADES?_" I snapped shakily. The response was the feeling of something blunt hitting my back and sending me sprawling onto my chest. "Okay… getting mad," I muttered as I began to push myself up and a foot slammed into my back, shoving me back down again.

Suddenly a voice spoke up, smug, overbearing and decidedly feminine. "Well, what do we have here? You really should know better than to break curfew when it's _my_ night to patrol!"

_Is there not a single girl alive who doesn't want to kill me?_

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," I mumbled into the grass. I had to admit; whoever she was, she must have the luck of the gods to get the drop on me so well. I didn't even hear her coming. I had to assume she was a half-blood, and one with some pretty fearsome combat abilities to boot.

I felt a foot hook under my chest and flip me onto my back. I found a tall brown-haired girl with a fearsome stare glaring down at me. What was even more fearsome was the Greek spear, crackling with electricity, which she had aimed at my chest. She was wearing jeans and a bronze breastplate. Her brow knitted and I could tell she was trying to place my face.

"How did you do that?" I asked suddenly, breaking the silence that descended.

"Do _what_?" I had obviously disturbed her thoughts as she pressed the spear down again, sending a small charge through my chest.

"Sneak up on me like that? You're no child of Apollo, and neither are you a Hunter. So how did you manage to get behind me without my knowing?"

The girl smirked again, "You were my enemy, and I possess the blessing of Lord Ares himself. When it comes to combat, luck is _always_ on my side."

_Blessing of Lord Ares?_

I had nothing so say, as I suppose I'd be a hypocrite if I moaned about a half-blood using a blessing from their parent in battle.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name," I asked conversationally.

"I'm asking the questions!"

"_Fine,_" I sighed.

"I don't remember seeing you around..." she said in a guarded tone."Whose cabin are you in?"

"I don't follow."

"Tell me! How _else_ will I know which cabin to drag your sorry butt back to when I'm finished _disciplining_ you? Or perhaps you'd prefer I just hurl you into the lake when I'm done, instead?"

I rolled my eyes, "Are you so insecure that you can't punctuate a single _sentence_ without ending it in a threat?"

"Say wha-?" it took her a few seconds to realize it was an insult. She jabbed her spear down again and almost pierced the skin. A violent surge of electricity tore through me.

_Perhaps I should watch my mouth._

"Name?" she snapped. She had clearly stopped playing.

I breathed a trembling breath. "Dove, Armani Dove, and y-"

She interrupted by pressing her boot down on my chest. It hurt, but at least the reprieve from repeated electric shocks was nice. "Doesn't ring a bell, so again, which cabin are you in?"

I grunted. This situation was starting to frustrate me. "Like I _said_, I don't follow. Why don't you just put _not applicable _on that little mental clipboard of yours? After all, how can I tell you my cabin if _I just_ _got here?_"

She jerked her spear away suddenly, "Y-you just, what?"

I gritted my teeth, "Just got here; recently arrived; am unfamiliar with this place. I suppose the operative phrase you're looking for is 'I'm new!'"

Her mouth opened as if searching for words to say, "_Oh_… Well…" she lifted her foot and stood to the side. She had her spear under her arm and was drumming her fingers on it nervously. "Sorry 'bout that…"

I dragged myself up to my feet, "_Sorry?_ Oh never mind… It's not the first time a girls _electrocuted_ me."

The girl looked quite sheepish suddenly, "_Look_, I thought you were a camper out on a midnight jaunt, all right? You _were_ walking about like someone who was sneaking." She sighed, and inclined her spear towards the large farmhouse, "We'd best get you to the big house Amani."

"_Ar_mani…" I corrected as we walked towards the building, "And I still didn't get your name."

The tall girl sighed, "Clarisse, Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares and lead counselor of cabin five," she muttered sideways to me.

An uncomfortable silence descended. "Nice spear, by the way."

She shrugged. "It probably won't last long; I have a nasty habit of breaking them."

I sighed, "Ah well, that's weapons, always useless in the end."

She sighed again. Obviously the mistake she made had depressed her, which was odd considering her tough demeanor. "So whose are you?" she asked after a moment. I think she was trying to be conversational.

I knew what she meant by the question, but if I was going to lay low I thought it best I didn't disclose my identity to the first half-blood I happened to run into. "That's…an issue."

Clarisse blinked. "Really? I thought they all _had_ to claim their kids these days."

I just fell silent.

"Tough break," she said after another quiet spell.

I inclined my head, "Isn't it just?"

We reached the door of the large house and the half-blood named Clarisse climbed the steps and knocked twice with the base of her spear.

A moment later the door was opened by a dignified looking brown-haired middle aged man with a soft stare…and the lower body of a horse.

_A centaur?_

It was, after all, my first time seeing one. My encounters with mythical creatures (the ones not trying to kill me, that is) was limited to my teachers, which were some of Apollo's select group of water and wood nymphs…and, of course my griffin Tim, may Hades rest her spirit.

The centaur's brown eyes flicked between us and rested on Clarisse, "Problem, Clarisse? Who's your little friend?"

_Little?_

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a new arrival, Chiron, I thought you'd like to know."

The man suddenly smiled happily, "Ahh, I see. Well, why don't you come right in and we'll get him registered. And it's no trouble at all; we were just having one last game before turning in."

I followed the tall girl and the centaur into the house, which on the inside still looked just like your average American country house, complete with contemporary furniture and all. Part of me half-guessed it would suddenly turn out to be all Greek columns and burning pyres on the inside, or other such absurdities. It was refreshingly normal.

There were several other people in the room, two of whom were situated at a round table near the fire. Both had cards in their hands and a third set was sitting face down on the table; these obviously belonged to the centaur. One of the two was a red-haired teenage girl who was frowning at her cards as if confused by them, and the other was a small pudgy man in a Hawaiian shirt who was staring at me as though I were a rat that had just scuttled in under the doorway. There were also two others sitting on a couch scribbling notes on a pair of what _looked_ like timetables on clipboards. Both appeared to be around the same age as Clarisse so I had to assume they were also counselors.

The centaur Chiron trotted around to the wall and grabbed a clipboard, which appeared to have a pad full of blank application forms on it with a dangling pen attached.

"Well I suppose I should start by saying… Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" he said with a wide smile, opening his arms as he did so.

_Yay…_

I did my best to smile in response. "Thank you, sir."

Chiron waved it off, "_Please_, it's just Chiron. I'm activities director for the camp. I believe you've already met the head counselor for Cabin five, Clarisse", he said, extending his hand to the girl behind me.

I nodded my head acceptingly.

He extended his hand to the couch where the two people with the clipboards had stopped what they were doing and were regarding me with unnerving intensity, "And with us here we have the head counselor for the Apollo cabin, Will Solace," the tall blonde boy nodded his head and went back to his clipboard. Chiron then indicated the girl with long black hair, "and one of the counselors for the Aphrodite cabin, Mila Jennings."

_Aphrodite…_

I narrowed my eyes at her and she, as if not noticing, shot me a dazzling smile that I knew should make a normal person blush. As a child of Artemis it simply made me shudder. Again I did my best to smile in response. This seemed to evoke an odd giggle from said girl, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"And playing pinochle over there is our visiting Priestess of Delphi, Ms. Rachel Dare." The girl in question had turned her attention from her cards and was now eyeing me in a way I couldn't place, as if she were contemplating thoughts I couldn't comprehend. I averted myself from her odd green-eyed stare and returned my attention to Chiron.

"And finally we have our camp director, Mr. D," he said, indicating the small man with the blood-shot eyes.

He regarded me in silence, "_Welcome_… I hope you die a painful death." He immediately went back to his cards.

I really had no response to that. Although in an odd way, his bluntness was quite refreshing. There was also something about his eyes I found disturbing.

"Lord Dionysus, _please_, can you at least _try _and be cordial with the new arrivals?" Chiron asked in an exasperated tone.

_Dionysus? Oh come on! Twice in one night?_

I took a deep calming breath and tried again to clear my mind, although the light pressure I normally feel when a god looks into my head wasn't present. It seemed as though he simply didn't care what I was thinking. That suited me just fine, but it still didn't mean I wouldn't have to be careful about him.

"Lord Dionysus," I replied respectfully, bowing my head slightly.

The god scoffed. "Well I'll be a satyr's aunt; one of them has some manners after all."

The centaur just sighed and then glanced at his clipboard, "Well enough about us young man, let's talk about you. Hopefully we can get you registered and settled in with your group tonight before all of your cabin mates turn in."

I sincerely doubted it. But to be sure I glanced to the side and focused, listening for sounds of the hunt… Nothing. Besides the song of the wild I couldn't sense my mother or a single Hunter within my range. So if there _was_ someone in the cabin that represented my mother I would be very shocked. I only then just realized the centaur was still talking, "I'm sorry, what?"

He smiled slightly, "I asked for your name," he said, pen hovering over his sheet.

"Oh. Armani Dove."

He echoed my name as he wrote it down, "Armani…Dove. Right, address?"

"Not applicable," I said blandly.

His eyebrows rose. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. In that case, reason for homelessness and/or cause of home's destruction?" he asked.

My eyebrows rose in return. "You have a _section_ for that?"

He sighed. "You'd be surprised."

I sighed, and thought how best to sum it up. "Greek fire…and a woman's wrath."

The centaur just frowned, but then wrote it anyway, "Care to elaborate, Armani?"

"I would rather not, sir."

He nodded. "Parent's name?"

"My father's dead, I never knew him", I responded in a level tone. But it seemed to affect the others in the room a lot more than me, except 'Mr. D', who was now flicking grapes into his mouth and drumming on the backs of his cards impatiently.

"Oh, I'm… sorry to hear that," and he sounded it, and although I suspected it was a story he had heard many times before, it still seemed to affect him. The others in the room were now paying attention and looking quite solemn too. I didn't especially like making people feel this way; I just hoped the questions were nearly over.

I rattled off my date of birth and a few other meaningless stats. "Any next of kin, guardian, or emergency contacts?" he asked after a moment.

I fell silent in thought; I didn't want to mention my mother. So who was my closest next of kin? I suppose it would also make him my guardian… "Lord Apollo," I replied after a pause.

Chiron's pen froze, "_Excuse me_?"

I sighed, "You asked for my guardian. Apollo is, or at least was, the closest thing to family I had for most of my life. I did live with His Royal Rhyminess for over a decade, after all."

"Are you _serious_?" I heard the boy, Will, interject in an utterly disbelieving tone.

I rolled my eyes, "It is an unfortunate truth. Your father has been keeping me stashed up his divine sleeve for quite some time now. But now I'm free, so to speak, and here I am."

Will was just staring at me agape when Chiron spoke up, his voice deadly serious. "Okay, Armani, I'm about to write that down here, but know the consequences for making up such a deception should it turn out to be mistruth."

I narrowed my eyes. I disliked being accused of lying. "It is true; I swear it on the River Styx itself." The rumble of thunder covered the gasps of shock from those words. "Hmm, hope I didn't wake anyone up with that."

"All right…" Chiron said, and I saw as he wrote a single word in on the paper in shaky letters and could tell by the movement of his hands he had indeed written simply 'Apollo'.

The paper glowed yellow for a moment. Chiron recoiled and everyone in the room (even me) flinched, expecting it to burst into flames. The light settled down and Chiron spared a glance at the sheet, which was undamaged. "Hmm, looks like you were indeed telling the truth."

"Told you."

"But _how_?" Will demanded, pushing himself up. "I thought you said you didn't _know_ your father!"

I blinked in confusion, "I don't_._ Oh, Apollo isn't my father; I was simply in his charge for quite some time…_regretfully,_" I added the end bit with a grumble.

The boy just stared at me, wide-eyed, then turned to sit down again. "I see…" he said and began writing on his clipboard, seemingly having shut himself off from the conversation.

_Strange…_

"What's Apollo want with a runt like you?" Mr. D suddenly spoke up.

I spared him a glance but kept my mind blank, "Too long a story, Lord Dionysus, and I suspect you wouldn't care one way or the other."

"Probably not…" and he went back to munching his grapes.

Chiron shook his head, "_Very well_, I suppose under contact number I'll just have to put 'Iris Message'" he appeared to collect himself after a moment, "Okay, you said your father had unfortunately passed on, that must mean your mother is-" he paused and waved his pen in a circle, as if waiting for me to finish. I knew what piece of information he was waiting for.

I paused and just put a bewildered stare on my face, "I told you, I grew up with just Apollo."

_Don't lie…_

I _didn't_ lie, I just omitted the truth.

"I'm not sure, but he said something to me about not knowing if he's been claimed or not," Clarisse spoke up from behind.

Chiron nodded with an accepting smile, "I see. Tell me Armani, have you seen any strange symbols lately?"

"I don't follow." I did, but it was a small white lie I think I can forgive myself for.

"Let me explain, when an Olympian-You do know you're a half-blood, don't you?"

"I've got that much down, yeah."

"Good. Well, anyway, when an Olympian deity claims their child they signify the event _usually_ by manifesting their glowing symbol above the child's head."

I nodded, "Okay…"

"Why don't you take a look at this and see if you've seen any of these before." I walked over to the centaur and stared at the chart on his clipboard. It bore nearly twenty different symbols, each with a tick box by it. At the top of the page were the words 'Godly Parent'. My eyes traced the page. The symbol of Artemis wasn't present. I suppressed a smile; why _would_ it be?

"Hmm, nope," I said after a second's glance.

Chiron frowned, "You're sure? _None _of these have ever appeared above your head. And none of them have a strange…_appeal_ to you?"

"I swear, if I have an Olympian parent, then their symbol is not down on this page. If you don't believe me just ask Dionysus; he can read minds, can't he?"

"Mr. D?" Rachel asked cautiously.

The deity spared me an annoyed glare then went right back to his card game, "Kid's telling the truth, Chiron. His parent's not down there. Just chuck him in with cabin eleven like we used to do with all the undetermined brats."

Chiron sighed, but I noticed he was now regarding me closely. "I suppose it'll have to be that way, then."

"I'll show him the way down, he can get the full tour from Travis and Connor tomorrow," Clarisse said, turning for the door, but Chiron raised a hand to halt her.

"Wait, Clarisse. Why don't you go off and finish the rest of your shift and then turn in for the night? I'll escort our new friend down myself," the centaur said, still staring right at me.

"_Fine_… But we're finishing the game without you," Mr. D grumbled.

"An unfortunate sacrifice I am willing to make."

"I'm gonna head to bed now, I'll finish my schedule in the morning," said Will, who got up and headed for the door, seemingly doing his best not to look at me.

_What's wrong with him?_

"Come with me, Armani." With that I followed Chiron out of the door and down the path leading towards a large group of eclectic buildings.

-A-

It was a nice night, perfectly warm and not a cloud in the sky. I could sense the centaur wished to talk. "So, how long have you known you're a half-blood?" he asked conversationally, breaking the silence as we walked side by side.

"To be honest, I can't remember when I was _first_ told. I suppose it must've been when I was about five."

Chiron hummed thoughtfully. "So long… If I might ask, how have you survived? As soon as a half-blood knows they are not of human birth, their scent becomes noticeable to many mythical beasts"

I inclined my head, "Well, I _did_ live in one of Apollo's temples and was rarely allowed to go outside. When I did, he was usually with me. There's also the fact that I didn't really _believe_ I was a half-blood simply because he _told_ me."

He regarded me out of the corner of his eye, "And how about now?"

I glanced at the ground, "Things have changed."

"I'm guessing these are the 'things' you would prefer not to explain."

I just nodded.

"That's okay; I'm not one to pry."

I got the feeling this was the case because he was the sort to usually know most of the facts anyway, but still. "Thanks," I mumbled.

We crossed into an open area between large groups of cabins ordered in a large elongated U shape. Twelve of them appeared to have been standing for some time, and there were an additional eight either near completion or which appeared to have just been finished.

"It's a shame to put you in with the Hermes boys, you know?"

"Oh? And why's that? Are you saying they won't accept me?"

Chiron laughed slightly, "Oh, nothing of the sort, they're a very welcoming bunch. I was just saying that your Olympian mother might be offended if you sleep in the cabin of another god when you clearly already know who she is."

I skidded to a halt and turned around. Chiron had already stopped some feet back and was burrowing into me with piercing eyes. "I don't follow."

"Oh, I think you do"

"Elaborate," I said simply. I don't yield to battles of wills so easily.

The centaur approached me slowly. "Very well; it was not that you lied, but that you were obsessively avoiding the questions."

"I suppose living with Apollo has left me with a dislike of lying in general."

"But you weren't lying when you said your name wasn't on the list of Olympian parents. You specifically asked Mr. D to confirm that."

I sighed. The centaur was astute, I'll give him that. "And what else?"

"And when I asked you directly for the name of your mother to begin with, you simply went silent; no doubt waiting for me to ask a question you _would_ answer."

"How very observant of you."

The centaur just smiled, "I've been training teenagers for thousands of years, young Armani. You don't live that long without picking up on certain signs and learning how to deduce."

I raised a single eyebrow, "And what does your deduction tell you?"

"My deduction is based on two things: firstly, your evasion to the question about your mother's identity tells me that you doindeed know who she is, and secondly, Mr. D's confirmation that you were not lying when she was not on that list."

"Which is, as you know, impossible."

The centaur nodded his head, "Indeed it is; so I deduce either Mr. D was wrong and you had somehow successfully lied despite him or your mother was _indeed_ not on that list."

"Unless I lied about my father being dead. That would explain everything."

"But then you would've lied. And I think you were trying to avoid that."

I groaned. "What do you want from me, Chiron?"

The centaur smiled sadly. "Just tell me this; am I right in thinking you know who your parent is?"

I paused for a moment. He held my eyes with his, and then I spoke. "…Yes."

"And does that parent have a cabin amongst those that now surround us?"

I glanced around with my peripheral vision and caught a warm silver glow being emitted from one of them. "She does…"

Chiron nodded. "Finally, and this is the only thing _I really_ need to know, is there a good reason why you feel you cannot tell me who that parent is?"

He continued to stare at me with those old but wise eyes, daring me to lie, daring me to disappoint him. He knew I couldn't. "There is, I swear it. It would be quite dangerous for me if her identity was revealed now. Apollo told me to wait until he and my mother can smooth things out first."

The Centaur approached me and rested a hand on my shoulder. His smile had become reassuring. "Then that's all I needed to know. You will hear no more questions on the subject from me."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all then?"

"That will be all. I'll give you the tour in the morning. I suppose you can sleep in the Big House for a while. If you _are_ a claimed child we can't have you sleeping in the wrong cabin, can we?" His mood seemed more jovial now, as if something in him had been satisfied.

My eyes flicked to the large building and I suddenly felt nervous, thoughts of a certain god in my head.

"With all due respect, Chiron, isn't there anywhere else I could stay?"

The centaur frowned, "Not unless you want to sleep outside_…_" his look changed as he noticed I inclined my head at his words. His own eyes widened. "You _do_?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "It's kind of my thing. I'd be pressed to keep my thoughts guarded all the time around 'Mr. D' and I've never lived in anything bigger than a ground floor condo before."

Chiron frowned. "There _is_ a curfew…"

"I won't tell anyone if you don't. You can just tell everyone I'm on permanent night duty."

He seemed reluctant, but then nodded, "If that's what you want_…__"_ He reached into his bag and tossed out a small round badge with a large red _C_ on it.

"What's this?"

"That's a counselor's badge; it'll stop any of the night guards attacking you and will automatically ward off the cleaners. Just lay low, and if I find out you've been up to any… _rowdiness_… in the night, then I'm taking it right back. Then it'll be the Big House or your own cabin…whichever it may be."

"Accepted," I said, and pinned it to my black tunic.

"Would you like me to drop your bag in a spare room back at the house? That is, unless you want to carry your possessions around with you all the time."

I dwelled on it, but the centaur was correct. "Thank you" I said, tossing my bag up to him. He slung it over his shoulder and turned to walk away.

He paused. "Where will you be?"

"Forest seems nice," I said simply.

He frowned, "I'd be careful, we keep a few beasts in there for training. Nothing nasty, but I'd be on guard if I were you."

I inclined my head curtly. "I will. I'm always armed anyways…in a manner of speaking. Heck, I'd still be living in the forest if the scary owl lady hadn't tricked me into coming here."

His look turned to confusion, "The _who_?"

"You know; the _wise_ one."

His eyes flicked to the cabin with the owl hanging over the door and back, and he laughed quietly. "I wouldn't let the kids in cabin six hear you call her that if I were you."

I smiled back. "Duly noted. Good night, Chiron," I said, turning to walk off into the forest.

"Good night Armani. I'll give you the tour in the morning."

"Looking forward to it." I spared a glance at the cabin that glowed in the moonlight. It looked eerily inviting, like home. I consciously pushed the feeling down and headed into the dark forest.

I immediately let out a sigh of relief as I felt myself back in my own territory. But I was weary, both physically and emotionally. When hunting I've found I can go two days without sleep, but tonight I just felt _exhausted_.

I stared around and listened to my instinct until I found what I was looking for; a warm, subtle surge coming from a nearby tree, it's branches large and perfectly formed and spaced.

I approached the trunk and tapped lightly on the bark. Seconds later a small head melted out from it, along with an upper body. "What's the big idea? Do you have _any_ clue what time it is?" the little wood nymph snapped, and then seemed to give pause as I met her chestnut eyes.

I bowed slightly, "I apologize deeply for the imposition, but would it trouble you greatly if I spent the night in your branches?" I smiled as warmly as possible and the little nymph suddenly looked quite sheepish for some reason.

"W-well, I suppose it's all right…just don't make any noise…or anything." She appeared to be doing her best to appear upset, and was failing badly.

"I thank you…" I said formally and turned to climb, but then leaned back into view and flicked my braided bang, "And it's already braided, so _please_ leave it alone." She must've been privy to the private joke as she let out a shrill giggle as she returned to her tree, blushing all the while.

_Strange…_

As usual I found a nice branch to sleep on. I could've sworn I saw an indentation form in the bark as I watched, just perfect for lying against. I slumped down and let the feeling of the nature around me lull me into a deep and welcoming sleep.

-A-

I awoke to a strange sight that nearly made me leap out of my skin; the wood nymph from the previous night was squatting on the branch and staring at me with large, curious eyes. It was then that I glanced around and noticed that four more were standing in the branches of surrounding trees and eyeing me strangely. This had never happened before. "Um…can I help you?" And like startled gazelles the nymphs scattered, dashing off and giggling before melting into their trees, the one in front of me already gone by the time I glanced back.

_VERY strange…_

I pulled myself around and dropped out of the tree, stretched mid-fall, landed as well as usual and began strolling to the edge of the forest. I leaned against a tree on the boundary to regard the camp before me in the morning light.

It was only the start of spring but it seemed the weather in this place didn't know that. It had all the feeling of a bright mid-summer morning. Unnatural, but not unpleasant. A moment later a horn sounded over the camp and the sounds of movement and murmuring became audible from within the various cabins.

_And so it begins..._

"Ahh…there you are!" came a familiar call, and I spied Chiron trotting towards me, "Thought I'd have to go hunting all through the forest for you. Did you sleep well?"

"I had an odd awakening but it was otherwise quite pleasant, thank you for asking."

"I'm glad. I assume you'll be taking a shower this morning, yes?"

I inclined my head; I usually did wash first thing, though when hunting I normally just found a stream or lake.

I shuddered uncomfortably as I recalled Athena's words about watching me for several days. I just hoped she had the decency to give me my privacy.

Chiron eyed me with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, just had a... very disturbing thought, it's nothing though"

"All right, well, shower blocks are over there, just follow the signs and you'll find a fresh change of clothes waiting for you when you're done. I'll meet you by the dining pavilion in an hour." And on that he swung about and headed off, no doubt to find his own breakfast.

Once I felt I was sufficiently clean I dried myself off and stepped out into the main area of the shower block. I immediately noticed two things. One was that there was indeed a full set of clothes waiting for me. The other was that my old clothes were nowhere to be seen.

I glanced about with a scowl, looking for a culprit, but no one was to be found. And it's not like I could pursue that far with nothing more than a towel as covering. No doubt this was the norm however, when it came to the laundry service here.

With a groan of disdain I proceeded to change into the clothes left for me on the bench. After fixing my bangs I regarded myself in the mirror.

And in that second I think a part of me died inside.

A bright orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt and blue shorts.

I looked like a lollypop…

I smiled a bright humorless smile at my reflection and echoed Chiron's words through gritted teeth. "Armani Dove… Welcome to the Camp Half-Blood."

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] And thus the yarn commences, next chapter will be up ASAP.

See you in chapter 2: The Raven and the Dove


	2. Chapter 2: The Raven and the Dove

A/N] And thus we continue…

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 2: The Raven and the Dove**

They just _had_ to organize the dining pavilion by cabin. Once I had got myself some cereal I simply slipped off into the shadow of a large tree by the lake to enjoy breakfast. No one seemed to notice. Word seemed to have spread amongst the Apollo campers, as several had glanced over as I passed. None of those stares were particularly appealing and none of the muttering I heard was angry, it just seemed...sad. Or perhaps _resentful_ would be a better term.

I returned the bowl to the kitchen as covertly as possible and nearly ran head-on into Chiron.

"Eating alone, are we?"

I sighed. "I was that obvious?"

The centaur smiled apologetically. "Actually, you were quite subtle. Unfortunately in a camp full of hyperactive half-bloods, that alone made you stand out. I wouldn't worry, only a few actually spared you a glance."

"You were observing me then, I take it?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Yes, from the staff table. You could sit with us, you know. Ms. Dare does when she's at camp."

"Yes, because _that_ wouldn't make me stick out like a sore thumb."

Chiron just sighed tiredly in response. "Very well, follow me." He withdrew a piece of folded paper from his tweed jacket pocket as he turned to walk off. "Here," he said.

"What's this?" I asked, unfolding the paper.

"It's your activities timetable. I'll walk you through today's activities, though" he said happily, and I knew he caught the dark look that flashed across my face as I regarded the paper. "What's the problem?"

"Oh nothing," I said offhandedly as I mentally began ticking off which events I would be skipping. This turned out to be pretty much everything.

"Oh, I feel I should warn you," Chiron said suddenly, "Playing 'truant' from your activities will not be tolerated."

_Is this guy psychic?_

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Really? Well, you had a 'the old centaur's off his rocker if he thinks I'm doing this' sort of look on your face."

"I'll have to remember to control my facial expressions in future, then."

He rubbed his brow and sighed again, "Look, you may think of this as something a bunch of adults have just thrown together to give a bunch of dysfunctional children something to 'redirect their energies on' or other such babble mortal teachers like to rattle off, but it's not. It is practice and training for the future. I've seen too many young heroes die because they lacked the training they needed to survive."

"I think you'll find I'm already quite adept at survival and killing," I responded in a low tone.

The centaur just smiled widely. He was difficult to rattle, I'll hand him that. "_Excellent! _Then you won't mind proving this proficiency to me. I'm teaching your archery class today at twelve; I expect you to be there."

I heaved a sigh. "_Fine_…"

"And the lead councilor for cabin five will be leading your swordplay class at two, you remember Clarisse, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes sarcastically. "_Great_… Give the big crazy girl a large knife and set her on me, eh?"

Chiron sighed, "She's not that bad, and she's really been trying to smooth out her kinks, so cut her some slack, okay?"

The way he asked as if it were a personal favor really aggravated me. "Alright… I'll watch, but I'm not promising anything."

The Centaur just smirked, "Oh I wouldn't worry about needing to promise anything," he remarked in a disturbingly ambiguous tone which I would've questioned had he not spoke up again. "And here we have the climbing wall. You'll have practice here from four until four thirty."

I observed the tall wall and flinched back as a wave of lava exploded upwards, singeing the backside of a camper who was scrambling up at the time.

My jaw dropped. "Just how many parents have _sued_ you people, really?"

He coughed nervously in response. "Anyway, over here we-" He was interrupted by a girl's voice.

"Chiron!" it was a blonde girl with Greek battle armor, carrying a bronze sword.

"Ahh, Annabeth. How can I help you this morning? _Oh_, Armani, this is Annabeth Chase, she's visiting for the week with Ms Dare. She's head of the Athena cabin and was recently appointed as chief architect of Olympus."

I inclined my head curtly, "Armani Dove. Pleasure."

She nodded back with a smile. "Nice to meet you. New camper?" she enquired of the centaur.

"I'm showing him around. He arrived in the dead of night."

I was still observing the girl. "You look just like your mother, has anyone said that before?" I'm not sure this was a good thing, however; just the memory of the owl lady's stare gave me a chill.

_You are aware that was a bad thing to say?_

Whatever she was about to say she held onto as she suddenly regarded me, "You've met my mother?"

Why is it that my gut only tells me things after the fact? I sighed, "I ran into her in the woods last night. It was an…_interesting_ encounter."

Her stare became so intense that for a second it was identical to her mother's, and I took an instinctive step back. "What was she doing there?"

"Scientific curiosity, apparently."

The girl just stared at me dubiously in response, "It could be a coincidence, I suppose." Turning to Chiron, she said, "Has Rachel said anything, had any feelings?"

Chiron shook his head. "Not so much as a prediction on tonight's dinner menu."

"Is this the priestess I take it we're discussing?"

Chiron turned back to me. "Ah yes, she had a strong urge she needed to be here. So Annabeth was kind enough to escort her to camp for the duration of their spring break."

"Just the two of you? Have any trouble on the way here?"

She shook her head, "No trouble…and yeah…just the two of us." I noticed she seemed suddenly quite glum. She seemed to force herself to brighten up after a second and suddenly focused on me, "Hmm, let me guess…Hermes?"

_Oh not this again.._.

I sighed, "Nope."

Her eyes narrowed as she rubbed her brow in a way identical to her mother. "Then…Aphrodite, by any chance?"

"No!" I found myself snapping more harshly than I intended.

"S-sorry, you just had that pretty boy look about you some of the Aphrodite boys have…Oh, this is a tough one."

_Pretty boy? There's always an annoying blonde one…_

Chiron could clearly sense me becoming irritated, "That's enough, Annabeth. I'll let you know if Rachel says anything," he said and turned to lead me away.

"Demeter!" she said, clearly having ignored the Centaur.

"And that's strike three. Good day, Ms. Chase." On that I walked off, forging ahead with enough speed that Chiron had to trot to keep up. "Is she gone?"

I saw out of the corner of my eye as Chiron glanced over his shoulder and waved cheerily behind him, "I'll see you after dinner, Annabeth!" then he turned back to me. "Yes, she is, and looking quite glum. It's rude to be abrupt with people you just met, Armani. You won't make many friends that way."

"I'll be sure to apologize; she was brushing on a touchy subject. Aphrodite child indeed…and what was she upset about?"

The Centaur sighed. "She had other plans for spring break. She had wanted to spend it with someone; he had commitments at school and couldn't make it."

"Misses her family, does she?"

"Ah, not exactly. She has…a certain someone."

"Well, that narrows it down."

I heard the centaur give an exasperated sigh. "You're not much of a romantic, are you?"

I skidded to a halt to regard him tersely, "It's not particularly in my nature, no."

He held up his hands defensively. "I'm just making conversation."

"Sorry… I'm just…not used to having this many people around me. Have you ever _met_ Apollo?"

The Centaur paused. "Once or twice. He is one of the more boisterous gods."

"Well can you imagine having him, and _only_ him, for company for most of your life?"

He did seem to be trying hard to comprehend it as multiple emotions flashed across his face. "There are worse gods to have had as a guardian."

"Perhaps…but my entire social development was pretty much entirely structured on observing Apollo and then doing the total opposite."

Chiron let out a small laugh, "Is that a part of _your nature_ too?"

I groaned, "You have no idea…"

The activities director smiled, "Then perhaps coming here was what you needed after all."

"Perhaps."

I think he could sense I needed time to think for a while, "I'll tell you what, I don't think I need to keep coddling you, so why don't you go explore by yourself, get some sun and I'll meet you at archery practice."

"Yeah, thanks Chiron." The centaur nodded with a smile and trotted off towards the combat arena.

It was strange. I never thought it possible for someone to earn my respect so quickly; this Chiron was truly a breed apart.

-A-

And so I strolled, keeping as much to the shadows as I could; but the camp was pretty much all open, so I spent half the time quelling my instincts to run for cover.

It seemed quite calm, but then I guess spring break wasn't the camp's busiest time of the year. However, it was hardly deserted. From what little I could gather, the cabins with the most campers right now were the ones belonging to Ares and the Apollo. The latter truth was somewhat unfortunate, as I always seemed to sense them watching me whenever I was around. I still couldn't place their attitudes; they seemed to jump from wanting to speak to me to an almost resentful indifference. It was strange; Apollo was far easier to work out, and he was a _god_ for Hades' sake.

After I was satisfied I had seen everything that was worth seeing without actually _entering_ any of the areas, I settled back under the tree I had my breakfast under and observed idly as some Naiads weaved underwater.

_Another new sight…_

I nodded curtly in response to their waves and beaming smiles.

I heard the horn sound again and realized it was about time to go to practice. As I reached the path, I saw a flash of bronze approaching and recognized the Athena girl from before.

"Annabeth…wasn't it?" I asked as she passed, and she froze dead.

She eyed me inquisitively, "Armani, right?"

I smiled; I was half expecting her to get my name wrong. "As an apology for my rudeness earlier…one more guess."

She hesitated, and then smiled. "I think I'll save it, but if I guess right you have to tell me…"

"Tell you what?"

"What it was my mother was so curious about when she met you."

A small smile twitched at my lips, "Trust me, Daughter of Athena, if you guess right then you won't _need_ me to tell you what she was curious about." Suddenly something occurred to me, "Wait, how do you know I even _know_ who my Olympian parent is? For all you know I was lying earlier when I kept denying your guesses."

She tugged nervously on the hem of her jeans, "I heard about how you said you didn't know if you were claimed or not so I sort of twisted Chiron into telling me about it. Don't blame him though, I was just talking to him about why my mother might've been there last night and the conversation…led in that direction."

I sighed; obviously the centaur wasn't as infallible as he liked to pretend. "I suppose I'll let him off this time. Anyways, I've got to get to archery practice so…I'll see you."

The girl nodded, "Catch you later, then."

-A-

I selected the bow that was the least distasteful. All paled horribly next to my mother's or my own identical version of it, so I selected one with the closest size and draw weight.

It had been a while since I had used any arrows other than the ones that I had formed myself; these felt weak and brittle in my hands, but I supposed they would serve their purpose.

Chiron began his lesson and rattled off some of the basics to the class and then was _kind _enough to introduce me. I received more scorning stares from the three Apollo children present. There were a few whispered comments from the two Nemesis twins, and the Ares boys just looked like they would rather be elsewhere.

"So how about you show us what you can do. Is the target okay, or would you like it a bit closer?" he asked. A pair of nymphs were still adjusting it as he spoke; it was about twenty meters away.

My eyes burrowed into the blue and red target, imagining a grazing deer in a field under the night sky. "Move it back…" I said in a low tone.

I saw him raise his eyebrows out of the corner of my vision, "Very well…" He waved a hand forward in the air and the two nymphs lifted the target and moved back about five meters.

"_Keep going_…" I muttered, keeping my concentration focused.

I saw him hesitate, but he waved them back, maybe thirty meters now.

_Without even a crosswind…no._

"Further…" I muttered again.

I noticed him shake his head and he raised both arms and waved them forwards, the nymphs looked exasperated and moved it back until they were bordering on the lake edge. "Is this far enough, or would you like the girls to go swimming?"

"That'll do." I slowly slid an arrow from my quiver and nocked it, drawing the string back. Everything had gone oddly silent. I pulled back until I heard the bow start to creak with the strain.

_Such poor craftsmanship… THERE!_

I clenched my teeth and loosed the arrow, it was flung forward with such brutal force that when it struck the target it went clean through the straw, even at this range.

I lowered the bow and narrowed my eyes; the arrow was embedded near the top of the target.

I heard a scoff from one of the Nemesis twins, a pair of dark-haired boys. "After all that build-up you could've at least gotten a bulls-eye!"

I didn't take my eyes from my target as I spoke. "I wasn't _aiming_ for the bulls-eye." As if on cue, the sound of straining wood filled the air as the damage the arrowhead had done to the target's support frame kicked in. With a crash the entire structure collapsed into a jumbled heap, the arrow still embedded through the half-severed support plank.

I said one word over the silence that descended. "_Dead._"

"What…was that?" Chiron asked after a moment.

"I took down my target…in a somewhat literal sense."

The centaur groaned at my archery pun. "But was that really necessary?"

I inclined my head, "I've never met prey that's been kind enough to stand and let me paint a blue and red circle on its side. You gave me a target, so I aimed for the weak spot."

"Fine, but you're putting up the replacement target by yourself. To be honest I'd be impressed if you hadn't just destroyed camp property."

I dug the bow in my hand angrily into the earth and headed off into the equipment shed while the others took up positions and began firing at the targets.

I dragged a replacement out and just as I turned about an arrow skimmed my shoulder and embedded itself into the target behind me. A chuckle came from the three Apollo boys, and the one holding the bow called up, "Sorry, new guy! Didn't quite see you there."

My eyes widened as my instincts kicked in, and I felt myself walking slowly towards him. I'm not sure what look I had in my eyes but whatever it was the smiles had suddenly died. Only the leader had a small smirk on his face but by the looks of it he wasn't even aware he was still wearing it. I had stopped dead several meters away, and my breath was coming in short enraged bursts. I had no weapon and he did, so I was almost screaming at my instincts not to react as I normally would…and it was a battle I was losing.

_Don't! I'm telling you, DON'T!_

I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk of his face and make him pay for all of his cabin's scorning looks. I was confused at what I had done to upset them so much and was simply _angry_.

I saw Chiron trot up out of my peripheral vision, he opened his mouth to speak but his voice died, as did the other campers'.

I knew why: my entire body was glowing an eerie white, and, more importantly, a silver orb was pulsing in my slack right hand; every time my fingers twitched two lines of silver would emerge up and down then retreat back as my hand relaxed; my subconscious _alone_ was trying to form my bow, and I was inches away from snapping like an overstretched bowstring.

_Just breathe! Deep breaths…calm down!_

I closed my eyes, raised my head and began inhaling deep cool breaths of air. Slowly I felt my anger abate and my body cool. I opened my eyes; everyone was still staring. I glanced at my hand to confirm that the light was gone.

Chiron was first to speak. "Armani…what was that?"

I narrowed my eyes at the boy in front of me. "_That_ was someone who was inches away from committing murder."

The centaur tried to laugh in good humor, but he was clearly shaken. "Come now, James is one of our best shots. If he wasn't aiming for you then you were in no danger."

I turned my eyes to Chiron, "I wasn't talking about _James._" By the widened eyes I could tell he got my meaning.

Without another word I began walking off the practice field, I stopped few feet beyond Chiron but didn't turn back as I spoke. "I'm done…"

I heard Chiron call after me, but I was already gone.

-A-

If I was scarce before, as the days went on I became nigh on invisible. I went to practice but did only what was asked of me; in sword fighting I would come out, face my partner, and, as coldly or as brutally was required, would render them unable to fight. Anyone assigned to be my partner after a few days did so with extreme trepidation and once I had performed my task I would sink into the shadows like a good hunter and be gone.

In archery I would stand and mutely fire arrow after arrow into the centre of the target, each arrow splitting down the shaft of the next. Once my quiver was empty I would simply leave. Chiron would try to stop me but I merely walked on as if deaf to the world.

It wasn't just Chiron. The head councilor of cabin five would occasionally attempt to make me stay behind during melee training, but by the time she had finished saying my name I would already be leaving. As for breakfast, I stopped coming altogether and remained in the woods to hunt for food. Even the wood nymphs could sense something wrong. I could feel them melt out of their trees to watch me leave each time.

Shocking how many people would try and reach out to you. Annabeth had attempted to stop me twice in passing, and even the boy James from the Apollo cabin seemed to have attempted to stop me at one point. But I paid no heed; I simply drifted on by and left them wondering if they had even seen me in the first place.

Why? Because it was best for them and for me. If the Apollo kids kept pushing I didn't know what I might do. If I snapped and _did_ hurt someone seriously, I'd never be able to forgive myself, and furthermore my cover would be blown and then I'd have a real Pandora's Box of a situation to handle. So I thought it best not to interact with anyone at all.

_I used to just feel numb inside…why does it hurt now?_

This I contemplated as I leaned back in the shade of the archery equipment shed. Suddenly my heart nearly leapt into my throat. "It's not working you know…" came a smooth and eerily cool voice, like oil running over ice.

For some reason I reflexively went for my sword, but of course it wasn't there, and after calming myself I turned to the side.

A boy stood leaning against the same wall I was, looking oddly relaxed and smiling slightly. He was shorter than me and possibly somewhat younger, with dark eyes and pitch-black, oily hair. The boy stood with his arms folded, wearing a black pair of jeans and dark leather coat.

No one had approached; it was as if he simply appeared out of the shadows right behind me, "I _beg_ your pardon?" I asked after taking a second to collect myself.

"I said it's not working," he replied smoothly.

I narrowed my eyes cautiously. "_What_ isn't working?"

"Nobody hides in the shadows better than me, and trust me, you're not doing it well enough. Your heart's just not in it. If anything you couldn't have attracted more attention if you had tried."

I stared at the boy with rising frustration. "I didn't catch your name."

He inclined his head round to me; his smile widened a bit. "Nico, Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades."

_Hades?_

I fought a shudder as I finally placed the odd scent of decay around him, "A son of the Big Three, eh? I do hope you're not expecting me to bow"

"Not at all," he replied, his smile not faltering.

He seemed to be waiting for me to speak, so I introduced myself. "Armani-"

"- Dove, son of _unknown_, yes, I know. The new problem child of Camp Half-Blood…that used to be my title, you know."

I leaned back against the wall again. "I do hope you're not too disappointed."

"Hardly; it's not like you'll hold it for long, anyway."

I felt an eyebrow peak up curiously. "Oh? And why is that?"

Nico sighed, "because you don't belong here."

"Tell me about it."

"No, I don't mean Camp Half-Blood. I mean _here_; you may want to hide yourself away for some reason, but you don't belong here in the shadows."

"And why is that?"

"Simple…because you don't enjoy it. You'll try, but sooner or later they'll get to you and you'll end up back in the light where you belong and do yourself a favor: don' t fight it."

"Are you talking about the other inmates of Camp Bedlam?"

His smile widened even more. "Of course, the crazies out there are better than the crazies you'll find here."

It was odd; this was the longest conversation I had had with anyone in days, and for some reason I couldn't stop talking to this Nico. "And what of you? Do you enjoy it?"

His face froze, and I could tell he was holding his smile in place, as it didn't reach his eyes. "It's who I am…I accept that."

"Is there no one else?"

He blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Family. Or are you like me; the only one?"

I could hear his teeth grit in his mouth and I realized I had touched a nerve. "I did once, but now she's gone."

And now it was _me_ feeling sorry for _him_, what a reversal of fortunes. "I'm sorry… How did it happen? You don't have to tell me, of course."

"She died. Artemis convinced her to be a Hunter and she was killed during her first mission." I noticed the undertones of sorrow and deep-rooted anger in his voice. And suddenly I felt very uncomfortable; three guesses why.

I really had nothing to say; I had no right to say anything. "I'll leave your shadows for now, I'm sorry I brought it up."

He smiled sadly, "Don't be…and thanks."

My brow furrowed in confusion, "why?"

His smile became a bit more genuine. "It's occasionally nice to share a dark corner with someone. Just don't make a habit out of it."

And I would have responded had he not just disappeared into the shadows. And I don't mean figuratively speaking, I mean _literally_ disappeared.

_The power of Hades? Impressive._

As I walked off I dwelled on the words the strange demigod had left me with and I kept coming back to one thing.

_And you thought YOU were lonely?_

_-_A_-_

As I walked past a group of Apollo boys I couldn't help but notice the three from my first archery lesson (if it could be called that) among them. I drifted by and could've sworn I saw one of them hesitate as if wanting to shout out to me, but I had already passed them. I idly realized that whatever conversation they had been having had abruptly died.

I spared a glance at the campers in a window reflection. There were no looks of anger and scorn, they were just mulling about now looking…s_ad_. And something inside me suddenly told me he was probably trying to apologize…

-A-

I was still dwelling on these things the next afternoon at sword practice. My normal cold intensity to defeat my opponent was nowhere to be found and my body was just moving on auto-pilot. In fact I wasn't even _looking_ _at_ my enemy.

_Parry, deflect, strike, deflect, block, thrust…_

The Iris girl who I was fighting, a short thing with cropped brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, had worn a look of abject terror to begin with, but now appeared to be marveling at the good fortune that I wasn't simply swiping at her legs and striking her in mid air or some other quick-defeat tactic and was now even delighted to be pushing me back.

_Parry, block…WATCH IT! Swerve, jump…strike… HEY ! STRIKE!_

There was a huge gap in her guard and I could see it easily, but I couldn't stop thinking if Nico was right about me.

_What is WRONG with me? I was never like this before…what am I so afraid of?_

I idly thrust out my left fist and heard a squeak of pain from my opponent followed by the twin sound of a small body hitting the ground and a sword clattering to the floor.

Deep in thought I sheathed my sword and turned to walk out of the arena's back entrance, aware of every eye following me.

"Oh _that_ is _it!_" came an enraged shout from behind me. A second later a spear flew by my right arm and embedded itself in the earth directly in my path. Now _that _snapped me out of my reverie.

Abruptly all the sound ceased; the other half-bloods had halted their fight. I turned around to find Clarisse glowering at me from across the arena and strapping on a pair of greaves that matched her shin guards and breastplate.

"_What?_ Is there a problem?"

"Oh, there's a problem all right, and I'm looking at it!"

"I don't follow. I've broken no rules, I've bested my opponent, there is nothing more to do and so I'm done."

"Do you see anyone _else_ leaving?" she asked tensely, indicating the area around herself.

"I don't."

"Okay, then what makes you so special?"

"Does it really matter? I'm finished, aren't I?"

"As a matter of fact, not tonight you're not," she said with a nasty smirk.

"If you wish for me to clean up at the end-"

"-Oh no, this has nothing to do with chores! You do _know_ who I am, don't you?"

"You're Clarisse, Daughter of Ares and head councilor for cabin five," I replied simply.

"That's right, and this isn't a disciplinary issue; it's a _counseling _one!" On that she drew her sword from her sheathe.

I blinked. I was suddenly feeling nervous. "You're going to…council me?"

She inclined her head, that viscous smirk widening, "I don't know what suddenly convinced you to turn yourself into a category-one jerk, but I intend to snap you out of it even if I have to _council _you into a bloody pulp in the process!"

I considered running, but immediately dismissed it, partly due to the spears within easy reach of the girl and partly because I felt that this time I _had_ to stay.

I drew my sword.

"This is propost-" I was brutally cut off, however, as I was forced to suddenly defend as Clarisse interrupted with a swing of her two-handed bronze sword.

"So let's _talk!_" she said as she pushed me backwards with the blade.

"We have nothing to talk… _about!_" I snapped back, pushing her sword back and staggering out of her reach.

She immediately swung her sword around and would've left a nasty gash on my leg had I not leapt up over it. "Oh, I think we _do_!" she shouted back and blocked my own strike with her armored cuff. Her hand grabbed my sword arm and yanked me to her, "What is your _problem_?" she demanded, and I was idly aware of a crowd gathering at the entrance of the arena. The other sparring half-bloods had formed a circle around us. "You think you're better than all of us, that it?" she shouted after shoving me back several feet and striking me with the flat of her blade.

I gasped in pain. She was on top form and I, to say the least, was not. "You know it's not that!" I spat.

"_Yeah_? Well why don't you _share it-_" she punctuated this by swinging her sword and missing my chest by inches, "-with the rest of the class! Is it your parent not claiming you? Is _that_ what's getting you down?"

I paused to catch my breath, "Don't presume to psychoanalyze _me,_ Clarisse! That's one strength you _don't _have!" I snarled angrily.

She attacked again, her blade narrowly missing me; thankfully I still had the agility edge. "_Maybe_, but I've at least learned that closing yourself off and existing in your own little world and snapping at anything that tries to get in is a bad way to live!"

Her words gave me pause for a second; it was the second she needed to hit me with a side kick and send me skidding on my back for several meters. She advanced on me, stopping a meter or so away. "Trust me, I've lived a good part of my life that way, and it didn't get me anywhere. So until you learn to stop taking your problems out on the rest of us and let us _help _you, I'm sure as Hades not letting your sorry butt off the ground!"

She was oddly open about her feelings for someone so tough, especially since I could see a substantial crowd of campers watching.

_I suppose this is what Nico meant when he said they'd finally get me_.

I stared straight up at the sky. A thick bank of clouds covered where I knew the moon hid itself from me. My will to fight had disappeared, and I knew why.

_It's because she's right, and so was Nico._

So what was _wrong_ with me?

_I was afraid. Afraid that through interaction with other people I might be inviting back the pain in my heart I had only shaken when mother accepted me. It was only when I faced up to the negative side-when I had the altercation with the Apollo kids-that I finally realized there was a flip side of the coin in relation to interacting with other people_.

And what did I do?

I hid… I'd hidden for most of my life, after all. It only hurt now because I realized I now had something to lose.

_So what is it you want to know? Ask her!_

I wasn't sure how long I had remained silent, staring up at the cloudy sky, but Clarisse was still waiting patiently and silence had fallen around the entire group. So I spoke, "And how does one go about changing?" I asked, glancing at her.

"You start by opening up, just a bit, even if it's to one person. It could be someone you just met and don't know, or it could be… a special person." I noticed her eyes draw into the crowd and small blush form on her cheeks, and I wondered who it was she was looking at. "And then when you've opened up for the first time, took the risk and exposed yourself, things start getting a little easier."

_She's much wiser than she likes to let on…That's the sort of wisdom that only comes from someone who really knows what it's like to be hurt by others_.

She breathed out a sigh, "_Now then_. Are you going to stop being a jerk and claw your backside out of the dirt, or am I going to have to leave you down there all night?"

I couldn't help but smile, "Given the choice…I think it's about time I thought about getting up"

"Gee, you _think_?" she asked, but I could see she was grinning.

_How about that…another one that earned my respect…_

And I suddenly realized I owed this violent girl a large debt of gratitude for beating me senseless and berating me in public, which just goes to show you how truly surreal my life is. But how does one say 'thank you' to a child of Ares? I mean say thanks _properly_. Something tells me words weren't what got to them.

_I suppose there's only one thing I can do_.

I leaned back into my shoulders and sprang onto my feet. I grasped my sword out of the earth as I brought myself back up to full height.

Clarisse had begun to turn and walk away but had paused, staring at me. The entire crowd seemed to be holding its breath. "_What?_" I asked her and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you finished _already_? I would've thought the favorite child of Ares would've had a lot more in her than _that._" I punctuated this by twirling my blade over in my hand and switching into an offensive stance.

A playful but vicious smirk spread across her features as she gripped her sword hilt and entered her own stance. "Have some camper's spirit after all, do you?"

"_I suppose__…_" I sighed; a warm bubbling feeling was starting to well up in the pit of my stomach. Looks like the old fighting spirit just got a rude awakening.

_Guess this makes me one of the crazies after all…Sorry, Nico._

"Ready_?_" Clarisse asked and her foot shifted. I inclined my head in response. She suddenly pointed her blade at me the same way a professional pool player would point at the pocket he was about to sink the black into, and bellowed into the night air, "For Ares!" A roar of approval erupted from at least a dozen campers and soon even the others were cheering just for the fun of it. She retook her stance, waiting for me.

Instead of repeating the action, I raised my blade up at the heavens; it wasn't like I could _say _it,but…

_For Artemis._

Suddenly my eyes went wide as a huge gust of wind swept through the area and the clouds above seemingly _exploded_ in a burst of air pressure. I suddenly found myself bathed in a brilliant shaft of moonlight. A surging force shot through me and I could feel myself reflecting the moonlight through my skin. A wild exultation was swimming through every cell of my body. I pointed my blade which was also glowing, at my opponent, who was now staring at me wide-eyed. "What," she gasped, "Is _that_?"

I smiled, _really_ smiled, for the first time in too long. "I believe the colloquialism is…that it's on."

Shock and awe again gave way to cheering; I guess they knew a good fight was in the air.

The power of a Hunter and my power as a half-blood were cascading together like a storm in my blood and a song in my head.

_Looks like it's Ode to Joy time…_

With a blur of white light, I charged, leaping a meter into the air with blade raised, I brought it down and Clarisse barely managed to guard; she pushed up with clenched teeth and both hands to keep me back.

She still managed to smirk though as we grappled with our blades. "Oho? And where did you find this strength?"

I smirked right back. "Ask me again someday, I might just… _tell you!_" I swung around, striking her blade with a backhanded strike and knocking her guard slightly. I kept the motion going and carried straight on into a roundhouse kick that sent her skidding backwards and leaving a nice sized dent in her breastplate.

She stared down at the indentation and then back up at me as I twirled my sword over and over in my hand. I'm sure it looked taunting and all, but in truth it was my equivalent to a nervous twitch, as she _really_ looked serious about this now.

"Not bad…" She charged again, this time straight through me, slamming her shoulder into me, pressing my blade flat against my chest, and slamming me right into a pillar, knocking the wind out of me. I could see her smirking viciously and was reminded in a perverse way of the time I had knocked my mother into a tree with a very similar attack. That was, of course, right before she retaliated with a… hang on…

_That might work…_

A small smile worked on the edges of my mouth as I grabbed hold of my opponent's shoulders. I pushed her back slowly, multiple wild animal snarls overlapping as I grunted with the strain. My growl must have shocked her, as she went slack in surprise for a moment. I took the chance and swung a hand up, flicking her between the eyes.

She staggered back a step. I grasped hold of the pillar for leverage, raised a single foot up to chest height and…

…And let this be a lesson that I probably should've considered in advance: Sparta Kicks are all well and good, but attempting one on the daughter of the _god_ of Sparta, a daughter who happens to bear his blessing, is _not_ such a good idea. No matter how humorous or ironic an idea it may have seemed at the time, as it may invariably turn out as follows.

I struck, only to find my entire foot suddenly enveloped in the large hands of my opponent. She held my entire ankle in an iron grip and raised her face to meet mine, blowing a lock of hair out her eye in the process. "_Hey_, guess what?" She asked, straining to hold my leg,

"What?" I asked, a nervous edge in my voice.

"That happens to be my favorite movie!"

"_Yeah_… Had a feeling it might," I practically squeaked, and on that I found myself lifted right off the ground by my ankle as she swung me completely round shot-put style and loosed me into the wooden weapons rack, which exploded into splinters as I struck it and crashed down around me.

I was dimly aware of the sound of cheering through the wood and my ringing ears as a hand plunged into the rubble and yanked me free, slamming me against the arena wall, a blade against my throat.

"_So?_" a slightly breathless Clarisse began. "Any smart words?"

I shook some splinters out of my bangs. "Does _ouch_ work for you?"

"Is that a submission?"

I sighed. "I yield." A cheer went up at my words and the councilor held her blade up triumphantly as she put me down, but only letting me go once she was sure I wouldn't collapse straight away. Which I suppose was nice of her.

The cheering died down as her cabin mates patted her on the back in congratulations and she turned to me. "Since you _lost_, clean up this mess," she said with a smile, and I idly noticed the masses of debris around me.

_I suppose I had it coming…_

But I was thankfully saved by the horn, as everyone immediately obeyed the call of their stomachs, only now noticing the smell of barbecue in the air.

"On second thought…" Clarisse said, tapping her chin in thought, "You can either stay here to clean up…or you can go and sit down for dinner. I'll leave you to think about it." With that and a slight limp, she strode off.

I leaned against a pillar at the entrance of the arena and stared out at the dining pavilion, then back at the hell I had left the arena in. "I suppose it's about time I took Chiron up on his offer…"

-A-

A blanket of very uncomfortable silence swept the pavilion as I strode in. But I hid my nerves well, as teenagers, like many animals, could smell fear. So with as much dignity as my aching muscles would allow, I strode up to the staff table wordlessly and settled down at one end, next to Chiron, who was dressed in a different tweed suit.

The murmuring and speech came back after a moment and I idly caught sight of a small nymph running up to the table. "So, finally decided to join us, have you?" said Chiron.

I heard the red-haired girl giggle. "One of us, one of us" she chanted in a mock drone and I nearly choked on the chilled goblet of Coke that had somehow materialized in front of me, lime wedge and all.

"Rachel, be nice," Chiron scolded lightly.

I stared down at the beverage, "Enchanted drinks? I'm impressed."

"You're welcome," Mr. D muttered around a chicken leg.

"I'm glad you chose to come, although I thought you'd hold out for at least another two days. Mr. D, what was your wager again?"

"_Hmph!_ I'd hoped he'd give me at least a week of peace and quiet. Looks like he's another one born to disappoint me."

_Wait… They were betting on how long…oh, never mind._

But I had to know. "Who won?" The redhead giggled again. "Oh…"

"Are you sure you've not had any prophecies?" Mr. D asked suspiciously.

"Mr. D, I'm _hurt_! How could you possibly believe me, a mere mortal girl, could _possibly_ cheat a great god like yourself?"

_By Zeus, that had to be the best double bluff I've ever seen…_

Dionysus merely grumbled some unprintable Greek curses in response. Suddenly Chiron nudged me. "Ah, Armani-" I noticed him indicating something to my side.

I glanced around and found a nymph waiting with a plateful of food. I recognized her as the one who I had found staring in my face one morning. I noticed she was looking quite sad; I guess having me around in a moping mood for days had affected her. She turned to walk away and I spoke up. "Wait…"

She stopped and turned around, looking tense. "Y-yeah?"

I breathed a sigh, "I'm sorry… for being such a jerk for the past few days, I'll tell you what; if you promise not to overdo it, I'll let you rebraid my hair tonight, but only you, okay? I don't want to wake up looking like a Rastafarian." She let out what I can only describe as a delighted squeal as she hopped once and dashed off, laughing happily.

_I'll never understand nymphs…_

I suddenly realized Chiron was staring at me with his mouth hanging open as Mr. D spoke up. "Why Armani, you _dog_," he said with a chuckle. For some reason hearing him laugh was extremely disturbing.

"What? I was just being friendly… Or did I do something wrong?"

Chiron spoke up this time and I could swear he looked like he was blushing somewhat. "You let a wood nymph braid some of your hair?"

My brow knotted in confusion. "Yeah, I'd normally undo it and whichever Nymph's tree I happened to be sleeping in would redo it by morning, but lately I've just been leaving it. I don't see why it's important; they've done it at least a dozen times."

Mr. D spoke up again, "Oh, you _heartbreaker!_"

Now I was getting annoyed. "What in Hades are you on about?"

"You mean you _really _don't know what it means when a nymph braids a lock of your hair?"

"That she likes playing with…oh, I don't _know_!" I replied in exasperation.

"It _means-_" began the Centaur.

Mr. D was still laughing, "No, no, Chiron, you let the boy figure it out by himself. But if any of you happen to see his face when he does, make sure you describe it to me."

So this is what it feels like to be the center of a joke you just don't get. I was sure it wasn't important, for now at least…although I did have a slight sinking feeling in my gut, the exact same one I had right before Apollo sent me here. I satisfied myself that I'd worry about it later. I then noticed something odd out of the corner of my eye. I indicated with my goblet, "What are they doing?"

Chiron glanced around towards the hearth and back again, "Oh, it's traditional to always honor your parent by dedicating the best-looking piece of your meal to them by throwing it into the hearth."

I shifted nervously. If I _did_ do this I'd practically be screaming _hey, look at me, I know who my mother is_! "Is it…mandatory?"

The centaur inclined his head, "It's rather taboo not to." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "but I _suppose_ you could just choose which piece now and do it later when it's a little less…crowded."

I nodded my head and began scrutinizing my dinner, wondering just what exactly mother would like.

_Something tells me the Goddess of the Hunt doesn't like pizza..._

-A-

I hung back until nearly everyone had gone. I noticed a small girl around the other side of the fire, who appeared to be stoking it, but she seemed to not be paying attention. I scraped off the lamb chop from my plate and muttered as quietly as I could under my breath, "For Artemis…"

I staggered back; I could've sworn the fire blazed white for just a second.

_Odd…_

I jumped again, as I realized that girl was suddenly leaning around the side of the hearth, staring at me with wide, bewildered eyes.

_Did she hear me? No…but why do I get the feeling she sensed something I would rather she hadn't_?

I noticed her eyes were now fixed on a point just past me; she nodded her head to indicate that direction and then turned away to tend to the flames again.

I turned about and saw what she was indicating: a small girl was standing by herself several meters away, staring at me. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old. She had curly blonde hair and large, frightened blue eyes, and was gripping the hem of her blue skirt, shuffling from foot to foot. She was either really scared or _really_ needed to use the bathroom.

I suddenly noticed a group of blonde children mingling not far off and doing their best to appear nonchalant. They were failing miserably, and I immediately recognized them as Apollo children. There was trepidation in their eyes, and I realized their odd feelings towards me hadn't abated. I immediately felt a wave of resentment. If I had done something to wrong them then couldn't they at least have the decency to _say it?_

"Yes?" I asked the small girl. She flinched back a step, and before I could even begin to _think_ about just walking off she seemed to gather her courage and said in the smallest and most timid voice imaginable four words that immediately made me feel like the biggest fool in all of creation.

"What's my dad like?"

I took in a sharp breath and stared at the little girl in shock.

_How could I have been so stupid?_

Here was a beautiful child who had been claimed but had probably never even _met_ her father. I glanced up at the other children, who were all looking quite solemn now, and I realized that most, if they were lucky, had probably spent less than a minute with their father. And here was me with the gall to moan about how I was forced to spend _years_ in his care, when they would probably give everything they had just to spend a _day_ with him.

It takes more than a glowing symbol to be a parent. I stared wordlessly at the girl, who stood there terrified and alone, waiting for me to speak. She was actually trembling slightly.

Bravery deserves its rewards. I took a deep breath. "How _best_ to describe Apollo?" I wondered out loud. I cocked an eyebrow at the girl. "This may take some time; I hope you're comfortable there."

She nodded nervously, but had stopped shaking.

And so I began mending this bridge. I told her everything. The smallest details I could remember; the bad jokes; the constant rhyming; his odd 8-track nostalgia phase; all his words of wisdom (though I hesitated to use the word) that I could remember.

I got a thrill out of this, as I guessed a lot of the stuff he did around me he did because he thought no one would ever find out, so it was difficult not to give an evil laugh as I reiterated every last one of his embarrassing moments.

_Payback really is a…what's the word again? _

I told the girl how he had saved me, but didn't elaborate, as it might give me away; how he taught me archery. Even his ridiculously irresponsible idea to teach me to ride a motorcycle at twelve, although I suspected that as the god of prophecy he knew I would need it someday.

I could see out the corner of my eye that the other Apollo children had all but given up on appearing to simply_ mingle_ and _hang back_ and appeared to be paying as rapt attention as the girl.

I could see it in her eyes, what she was doing, trying to live some of the experiences they had probably only dreamed of through my words alone. It was a pale substitute, but I expect it was the closest these children had ever gotten.

_You're such a fool, Apollo._

Curfew had come and gone and I wasn't even nearly finished. I realized, despite how wide the girl's eyes were and how rapt with wonder she was at my words, I wasn't actually answering her question.

No, I was just rattling off the sort of things he did… But what was he _like_?

What did I feel about him? Why was I hesitating about just saying what was in my soul? Then suddenly I knew what it was I had to do, as a certain someone's words still rang fresh in my ears:

_You have to open up._

"What's Apollo like?" I wondered out loud. Slowly, I approached the girl and dropped down onto my haunches until I was at eye level. Meeting her curious blue eyes with my own, I spoke in a thoughtful tone, "Have you ever had one of those days that's so cold and miserable that you just don't see how it could be possible for there to be any warmth left in the world?"

The girl nodded glumly. I rested a hand on her small shoulder.

"And then as you stand there something happens. It could be a gust of wind, some change of air pressure, I don't know. But then suddenly the clouds part, and you find yourself bathed in the beams of the sun, and you suddenly feel so warm that you _know_ that no matter how cold and dark the world is outside of that spot you know as long as you're in there...in that one place, in that one amazing second, the cold can't ever get to you..." she was just staring at me with the most entranced expression, and I gave her a small smile. "Well… _that's_ what Apollo's like." Her face melted into a small, sweet smile as I stood back up and stretched. "Sweet dreams…" I said, patting her head as I walked past her.

"M-Maria!"

I halted as she suddenly called out, "My name's Maria!"

I paused and inclined my head back. "Armani Dove, good night Maria." And with that I walked off past the Apollo campers, who just stared at me in silence as I passed. "'Night campers," I said, and then headed off back to the forest.

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] If you've stuck with me so far I bid you thanks and shall endeavour to get the next chapter up soon.

Catch you in Chapter 3: Winning the Battle but…


	3. Chapter 3: Winning the Battle but

[A/N] The game goes on, hope you're enjoying it thus far, continued kudos to Shrrgnien for her awesome beta work.

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 3: Winning the Battle but…**

I woke up the next morning with a warm heart and…another braided bang. I sighed as I examined the two offending articles in front of my eyes, slid out of the tree and headed for the showers. I found myself oddly _yearning_ to go to breakfast for once.

I sat again at the staff table for my morning meal and enjoyed a coffee. Telling tales of Apollo late into the night had left me feeling quite tired, and I really needed a pick-me-up.

Suddenly I felt Rachel's elbow nudge me and I glanced up from my beverage to see a trio of blonde campers standing near the table. At the front was Will, the head councilor for the Apollo cabin. He was flanked by a boy that I recognized as James from my first archery class (you don't easily forget the face of someone you came within an inch of killing) and the little girl from the previous night, Maria.

"Umm, can I… _help you_ with something?" I asked, as the lead boy seemed to be hesitating. The girl frowned and kicked him sharply in the shin.

"Go on, then!" she snapped. She was obviously not as timid as I first imagined.

"I'm asking, I'm asking!" Will snapped, reaching down to rub his ankle. He sighed, "_Look_…it's like this, we were wondering…" he paused again as if wondering how to phrase his words without embarrassing himself. I heard the girl growl in frustration and the boy quickly snapped out of it, "…what we'd like to _ask_ is…would you like to join our team for Capture the Flag?" he blurted out the end bit quickly, in the same way one might pull off a band-aid.

"Excuse me?" I asked with a frown.

He tugged the collar of his t-shirt nervously, "Well, the councilors are planning a game of capture the flag for tomorrow; it's us and the Ares cabin versus all the others and we were wondering if you'd like to…y_ou know_…be on our team?"

"Two cabins-" I began

"-and you," Maria interrupted hopefully.

"Two cabins…and _me_, versus _everyone_ else?"

Will spoke up, "Well, since we have the most campers in our two cabins, and since it's spring and there's not that many in the others, we figured it works out about even. In fact the only ones we have to worry about are the Athena kids."

I did the math in my head. "The odds will be against us…"

"Yup," Will agreed.

"And the situation may even be hopeless…"

"Might be."

I smiled. "Sounds like fun." Will smirked but something suddenly occurred to me, "…On one condition, though."

"Yeah?"

I glanced wistfully off to the side, "I get to ask _one_ other camper to join our team."

Will nodded, "Okay, and there's just one more thing that we need to handle," he said, glancing at the boy behind him, who now looked quite embarrassed.

Maria hissed something and the boy flinched. "Sorry I shot you with an arrow… It was rude." Maria kicked him. "And _mean!_" he yelped "_Definitely _mean!" I'm not sure if he was talking to me there.

I chuckled. "Apology accepted" He nodded gratefully and limped back to his table with his two cabin-mates.

_Bridge mended, it would seem._

-A-

_It's got to be around here somewhere…_

I could sense the gap in nature, as if the forest were trying in vain to pull itself away from it, and after turning round a particularly large oak I found what I was looking for.

Cabin Thirteen.

It was as dark and gloomy as one might expect from the cabin belonging to the Lord of the Underworld, and everything in me was telling me to stay back. Out of all the cabins, I knew that this was the one I belonged near the least.

I forced myself up to the door, collected myself, and knocked twice, gently.

"Yes?" A voice came from my right and I nearly jumped right out of my skin as I swung around. Nico stood there, smiling slightly.

"_Hestia's hearth!_ Do you _have_ to do that?" I gasped, putting a hand on my chest.

He shrugged his shoulders. "More often than not… Is there something I can do for you?"

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow. "Y-yeah, Nico, are you joining the capture the flag game tomorrow?"

He shrugged again. "Annabeth or one of the others usually asks me, I half-expected it to be her when I heard someone coming…" I noticed he seemed quite melancholy as he said that.

"Her loss, you're on our team," I said in a matter-of-fact tone, turned and walked off.

"_W-wait_! You can't just say what team I'm on!" he called after me in protest.

I didn't stop so he couldn't see the small grin on my face. "Sure I can! I'll go tell William and Clarisse to expect you."

I could almost hear him pause, as if just realizing something. "Wait, _you're_ playing?"

I sighed and shot him a small smile over my shoulder, "I suppose. Think of it as a plea for help from a hopelessly crazy person."

His eyes widened and I caught the briefest smile on his face. "Since you put it that way… I guess I'm in."

"_Excellent_…" and then I was gone.

-A-

I was in the Big House and feeling immensely relieved as I changed into my black hunter's tunic and jeans. I strapped my sword on.

I almost felt like myself again. I glanced out the window at the half-moon that hung in the sky. It was a perfect night to hunt.

I grasped my bag and headed for the door. They'd be gathering at the edge of the forest by now.

-A-

There were two large groups of campers gathered. One was almost uniform, split between slender with blonde hair wearing glistening bronze and large and imposing with even heavier armor...and of course, one lone form, clad in lightweight black armor with a black blade at his waist. The other group was a varied bunch of all different sizes, ages and genders. They did indeed have a significant numerical advantage but I felt their clashing natures could be to their disadvantage. At their head, in silver armor with a bronze dagger at her side, was the girl Annabeth Chase, their chosen team captain. And at ours, holding our red flag in her fist and clad in full armor, was Clarisse.

I approached Nico, who was shifting nervously. "What are they doing?"

He blinked and turned to me; I had obviously startled him. "It's the traditional psyche-out; they'll glower at each other until Chiron signals to begin. Then we go to our opposing camps and take positions until the horn is sounded. Then the fun starts."

I eyed him carefully. "What's wrong? You seem… _disturbed._"

He shook his head, "Nothing, it's just… I'm usually on her side." I didn't need to follow his eyes to know he was staring at Annabeth.

"Then I suggest you don't disappoint her by giving any less than your best," I said.

His eyes flashed with irritation for a second. "If you think I'd hesitate, even against Annabeth, then you're dead wrong. Remember who I am, Armani."

"_Relax_. I didn't mean anything by it; I was just trying to... what's the phrase... Yes... _Psych you up._"

He smiled, and then regarded me. "You sure you'll be okay like that? You're not even armored."

I inclined my head. "I'll just have to make sure I don't get _hit_ then…"

"Okay campers!" Chiron called as he trotted up, in full armor himself. "Let's keep it clean, and _please _try to avoid any mutilations or fatalities this time! Take your places!"

I followed my team into the forest and we took position under a large, withered tree in a small clearing; a decent defensible position. According to Nico, Annabeth would be placing the blue flag at Zeus' Fist right about now.

Clarisse used her spear to hang our own flag in a high branch and wrapped it securely over. She nodded at Nico and everyone stood back as he drew his black Stygian iron blade. I stared at it with something akin to fear as I realized not even the light of the moon was reflected in its cold surface.

An unearthly shudder went through me as the ground opened and a dozen skeletal warriors dressed in archaic battle armor and carrying rusted blades clambered out. Nico extended his sword and the creatures took up a circular formation in front of the tree. The ground closed and the dark half-blood leaned back against a boulder, surveying the forest with his dark eyes.

"Glad you're on our side," I muttered. The boy just smirked in response.

"Will?" Clarisse asked the Apollo boy. He indicated a small group of his campers to move out in several directions.

"That's the last of them. I'll join the front lines in a moment. And the Ares cabin?"

She smirked, "Ready to begin the push." Her eyes turned to me. "And you?"

The makings of a smile appeared on my face, "Don't worry about me. Just make sure they don't get _our_ flag. As long as I'm in the forest I can operate independently. I personally prefer a surgical strike. So just keep them occupied."

"You're going alone?" Will asked, pausing halfway to the trees.

I regarded the leader of my uncle's cabin. "What's wrong? Worried that I'll beat you to it?" I asked with a playful smirk.

He sighed, "It's your head…"

-A-

I climbed into the tangled branches of a tree and waited like a shadow. The creek that was the border of our two sides was below me. Ares campers stood with swords drawn in the distance and Apollo children stood further up the hill in a flanking formation ready to encroach upon the enemy.

A horn echoed over the darkness and the silence was shattered by a mix of garbled battle cries. I watched bronze clash against bronze as the opponents' forces charged ours head-on.

I didn't stop to watch; their fight didn't matter, so I began moving. I hopped from branch to branch. Leaping from tree to tree; I froze dead as a pair of iris girls dashed by below me, swords drawn.

The blue team's defensive cordon came into view. It consisted of a line of Aphrodite girls and Athena boys dotted about, although the Aphrodite girls' concentration seemed torn between the forest and their reflections in their blades. I smirked.

_Typical._

I slithered down the trunk of the tree and began a wide circle around the clearing. Their defense was spread thinly the further back I went. I slunk through the darkness a good distance until I was well behind the clearing that they defended.

There was only one Athena boy circling around back here with sword drawn.

I moved carefully, waiting for the wind to blow to hide the rustling of leaves. He glanced around, and like a cobra I sprang up silently behind him and clamped my hand over his mouth, dragging him down backwards. I smacked him on the base of his neck and his body went limp.

_One down...about three dozen more to go._

I stayed low and crawled towards the edge of the clearing; the back of the rock formation was in front of me; no doubt the flag was embedded in it on the other side. I spared a peek around the boulder; the Nemesis twins and another Athena girl stood poised with swords drawn, obeying the rules of distance the defense had to keep from the flag.

Their offence near the stream was impressive, but their defense was laughable. Heck, I didn't even _need_ to sneak. I could probably take them without much effort with the element of surprise. The gap in their rear was so bad it was almost as if they _wanted_ someone to-

My brow furrowed as suspicion dawned.

_No… Surely not…_

Then I felt the point of an invisible blade press against my cheek.

-A-

"Well _what_ do we have here?" a familiar disembodied voice enquired dryly. I instantly saw the three guards swing around. "_Up,_" the voice said simply, and _very_ slowly I pushed myself up. An invisible arm nudged me forward and the others caught sight of me. That same arm suddenly pinned me to the rock face and I felt the blade move to my throat.

The arm relaxed but the blade remained as a familiar face materialized in front of me, a baseball cap twirling idly on her free index finger. I breathed a sigh. "_Annabeth Chase_…invisibility cap, huh? Now _that_ I didn't see coming. No pun intended, of course." I couldn't keep the impressed note in my voice from surfacing.

"I figured between you and Nico, _one_ of you would at least _try_ something that takes a brain cell to do," she said with a smirk. "Now do you surrender yourself as our prisoner? I'd really hate to have to beat you into submission, Armani."

I narrowed my eyes. "You really shouldn't use such big words, Daughter of Athena. It makes you look weak."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at me in return, "They're hardly big words considering the position you're in. I'm afraid you won't be getting reinforcements anytime soon either."

My eyes widened as an idea occurred to me.

_Reinforcements…It's a long shot, but…_

I glanced up slowly at the moon shining down at me.

…_It might just work__…_

I relaxed and my eyes became unfocused. I listened to the song of the wild around me as something began building inside my chest. I listened to the song; searching for the right note, so to speak.

"What are you-" she was cut off as I let out a long whining noise in my throat. It rose louder and louder until I could contain it within me no longer, and I arched my head back, the blade scraping my skin slightly, and let out an echoing wolf's cry that caused Annabeth to stagger back in shock.

_Come on… Work!_

On and on the call went, until I ran out of breath and felt Annabeth smash me back against the rocks. I noticed she seemed quite disturbed. "T-that was a cute little trick, Armani. But what exactly was it supposed to do?"

I noticed swirls of silvery-grey smoke beginning to gather over the ground at the edges of the forest, like glowing dry ice. I breathed out a sigh.

_I think I did it…_

I met Annabeth's eyes and put on an inquisitive smile, "Let _me_ ask _you_…why exactly would you use a dagger against a ranged target?"

She scowled, "I would hardly call you a ranged target right now."

My smile turned dark, "I wasn't talking about me."

Her scowl turned into a frown as she shook her head. "What are you-" the question she was about to ask was answered in the form of a low warning growl coming from directly behind her.

Her eyes widened in fear as she turned her head around _very_ slowly, and I caught her intake of breath as she froze dead.

She flinched back. I heard a loud bark and she literally leapt back for defense. I was just smiling, however, at the beautifully elegant silver wolf that was growling menacingly at the girl, teeth bared. The other campers had backed up into a semicircle, each not sure where to aim their blades as the other eleven wolves took up a formation around them. The sound of feral growling filled the air.

Annabeth was backed right up against me as I spoke. "And now we face a dilemma… See, I can't control them for long; I'm just not that well-practiced. So here's the problem we face: either I get to safety before I lose my concentration or my friends here will resort to their instinct to defend me from anything that threatens me, which right now is the four of you. True, you might take one or two of them out, but all it takes is one to sink their teeth in to bring you down…and trust me, when these pups bite in, they _don't _let go. So tell me, Annabeth, what does that analytical brain of yours tell you to do now?"

There was only one answer, and she backed away from me. I calmly strolled forwards and rubbed the lead wolf's chin affectionately. "Good boy!" He whined happily in response.

I strode composedly over to the gap in the rocks where the blue flag hung and reached up to pull it free. The other Athena girl moved to stop me but froze as two of the wolves barked and snarled angrily. "Ah, ah, _ah,_" I said, wagging a finger at her. "I wouldn't break eye contact if I were you; they _really_ don't like it when you do that."

"_Annabeth__…_" I heard the Athena girl in question hiss tensely to the side, "…what's going on? We don't _have_ wolves like these in the forest! Where in Hades did they come from?"

I noticed Annabeth was staring dead at the wolves with confusion in her eyes; confusion and terrified recognition. She spoke in a thoughtful tone, "I've seen wolves like these before…just once before." She called to me as I walked coolly away, "But you _can't_! If she finds out you summoned them, do you have _any_ idea what she'll do to you?"

I paused at the edge of the undergrowth, "Not as much as you might think…now don't go anywhere, and no sudden noises or movements either, my friends look about ready to snap."

_Stop gloating and run!_

_-A-_

And so I ran.

I shot past the two unprepared Athena girls, my outline glowing silver as I gripped the blue flag in my fist. I leapt from tree trunk to tree trunk for leverage, barely touching the ground as I went, swinging up into the branches and leaping through the tree tops in a blissful surge of speed and elation. It was all or nothing.

I focused and sensed the wolves dispersing. The chase was on.

This time I had no intention of ending a battle flat on my back, tied up or incapacitated.

I was a child of Artemis.

I was a Hunter.

The moon was out…

And I was in the forest.

I wasn'tlosing, not this time!

I leapt clear over the head of one of the small Iris girls and roared a terrifying cry of murderous intent squarely at an Aphrodite girl in my path, who dived for the ground with a shriek of fear as I passed.

_Closer… KEEP RUNNING!_

I saw the river border in the distance, and people were starting to take note of the silver streak dashing through the battle lines. I now had half of the camp turning their attention to me, and I had seconds before I had dozens of half-bloods of various lineages on my tail.

_Let them come, let them _try_ to catch me!_

I leapt up and used a branch to swing over the heads of a pair of Athena boys who were in my path and kept right on running.

I had built up so much momentum by now that, when a Hermes and Hephaestus duo got in my way, I simply barreled straight through them and sent the two flying like a pair of bowling pins.

_Almost…_

I heard a horn in the background and a second later one from up ahead and I realized that the alarm had been raised, but if a horn had sounded ahead at our camp then that must mean…

_There!_

I could see him: running down the hill towards the river was a terrified little Aphrodite boy, screaming his lungs out in terror. A mass of skeletons, very large Ares warriors, and Apollo campers charged after him as he ran for all he was worth, the red flag in his fist trailing behind him.

I was idly acknowledging how comical it looked when I felt something wrap itself around my ankle and drag me to the earth with a painful thud. I rolled over and did something with my hands that my attacker couldn't have seen; it was _imperative_ he didn't. As I glanced up I saw my opponent; it was a blonde boy who I immediately recognized.

_Pollux…_

The son of Dionysus stared down at me and I felt the vines he had summoned tighten. He gave me a once-over with his eyes and turned away. "He doesn't have it! Keep the line tight-YAAAAGH!" he screamed as a series of tree roots exploded out of the earth either side of him and whipped him eight feet into the air, severing the vines around me in the process. Several smaller roots shot up and swiped at the legs of the surrounding blue team members, flipping them onto the ground, and as I staggered to my feet and I could've sworn I caught the unmistakable movement of a small form melting into a tree.

I let out an almost hysterical laugh and I dashed onwards, down the embankment and towards the stream. Then the little running Aphrodite boy saw me…

His terrified eyes met mine and I saw the terror go up a notch as he saw me charging him head-on. A merciless smirk spread over my features as he jumped into the air over the stream. I crouched down as I ran and leapt up into in his path. I heard a whimper and saw his wobbling lip as we met in midair. He moved his hands to block desperately but my leg was already swinging into a roundhouse kick, which caught him square in the chest and sent him spinning back the way he came and bouncing into the dirt.

I landed next to him in a crouch, tore the red flag free and held it triumphantly in the air.

Clarisse ran up to me, breathless. "Nice one, we'd never have lived it one down if that kid had beaten us!"

Part of me _really_ wanted to know how an Aphrodite kid who looked less than ten years old could've gotten past the Apollo and Ares guards and thensnatched the flag from a bunch of animated skeletons. William must've been just as grudgingly impressed, as he was already bending down to check on the kid.

I noticed Clarisse was staring across the stream. "Get that back to the tree," she hissed at me, indicating the red flag. I followed her gaze; Annabeth and the other blue team members were gathering. It was about to hit the fan and I could see a lot of the other blue team members scanning the undergrowth as if looking for something.

Her blue eyes met mine and then flickered to the red flag. She frowned in confusion.

"Okay…" I began, as I reached up my tunic sleeve. "And what should I do with this one?"

"With wha-" Clarisse froze as I held up the blue flag. All the murmuring stopped and a disbelieving silence descended.

"Should I put this back with the red one?"

Clarisse blinked, "But that's…the blue team's flag."

I nodded. "Yeah…the blonde girl had it," I said pointing to Annabeth, who was standing with her jaw hanging open. "So…you know… I…c_aptured _it."

I heard William's voice. "You…captured the flag?"

I blinked; honestly, you could hear a pin drop. "Y-yeah, I got both of 'em." I held both up. I was genuinely unsure what was supposed to happen. "So…which one do you want?"

"But you crossed the border…" Clarisse breathed disbelievingly.

I glanced down at the stream, then back. "Yup, sure did, so…what now?"

"Are you _genuinely_ this stupid?" I heard William demand, an incredulous laugh escaping him as he stood up and he grasped my arm. "VICTORY!" he cried, and the silent spell was broken as a great deafening roar erupted from every direction. My ears would be ringing for _days_…

"W-what, you mean it's over already-AARRGH!"

And then the ground disappeared from under me as the two councilors had lifted me up suddenly into the air. I realized I was now surrounded by cheering campers, and of course a line of not-so-happy ones across the river, who were now applauding respectfully.

_Well I'll be darned… I won…makes a nice change._

"Kindly put me down," I pleaded.

They complied. There was an oddly nice feeling going through me and I felt Clarisse nudge me from the side. "Hey!" she whispered, "Hold it up! This is the important bit!" With a defeated smile I held the captured blue flag triumphantly aloft and the roaring became almost obscenely loud all around.

Then something very odd happened. From among the cheers came a confused series of murmurs, and the cheers faded out as I noticed my audience were now either squinting their eyes or tilting their heads and staring with bewilderment, muttering "but isn't that…"

Suddenly the silence had returned, and so had the disbelief. Now I was _very_ confused. "W-what?"

William spoke up after a moment. "Armani… You are…you know…a…_guy_, right?"

_What kind of…._

Both eyebrows went up. "_Yes!_ As a matter of fact, I _am_! Have you lost your mind?" I snapped incredulously at the councilor, wondering what could've driven him to ask something so bizarre.

"It's just…well…_look!_" And I finally noticed that everyone's eyes weren't aimed at _me_, but at the flag in my hand. I followed their gazes around…

And then my heart skipped several beats.

It was no longer a blue flag, but shimmering silver…emblazoned with the image of a drawn bow and a stag.

It was the symbol of Artemis.

My mouth opened and closed and found I could only say one thing. "Enchanted flag…right_…__stupid__…_"

I glanced around and noticed everyone staring at me in shock and bewilderment. I suddenly noticed a certain black-haired half-blood's eyes burning into me with such intensity I feared I would disintegrate if he could make me.

And then I saw Annabeth…and what did I see in her eyes? Disbelief, of course…shock was there too…and finally realization. As much as she couldn't believe it, I could see that she _knew_…she had her answer.

My breath was coming in short gasps as I glanced around and, in that instant, knew there was only one thing I could do.

_Run!_

And so I did.

And boy, did I leg it. I don't think I had run this fast even when I was pursued by my mother and her Hunters. I kept going until the forest was gone and I skidded several feet before I reached a halt, the friction burning my feet.

_Hide! Get to safety!_

I glanced around desperately as I realized where I was; in the center of the rows of cabins that represented the gods. I knew that now there was only one safe place for me in Camp Half-Blood.

Without hesitation, I bolted for the door of cabin eight and slammed it shut behind me. Trembling, I sank to the floor against the door, the silver flag still gripped so tight in my fist that my knuckles were white as I sat in the dark, my panting breaths the only sound…

Pandora's Box had been opened.

_They know._

I inhaled a trembling breath to try and steady myself and climb to my feet. I wiped a tear out of my eye—I was utterly exhausted emotionally, so I felt it was justified-and glanced around for the first time at my mother's cabin. I made sure the doors were locked and shutters and curtains properly closed before I lit the lamps by the door.

I immediately felt like an intruder.

It wasn't the feeling of the place, but the _smell_. Now, if you've ever been in a boy's and then a girl's room, you might know what I mean. There's a lingering odor of soap, hairspray and perfume. Now imagine that, but having been reinforced for _centuries. _This was not territory a boy was meant to be in.

I looked around; it was all bunk beds, intricately carved wooden shapes, each appearing handmade. Not a speck of dust lay anywhere. As my tired eyes scanned the room I suddenly saw one bed that was different to the others: it wasn't a bunk bed, but appeared of identical construction and was sitting directly under the window. Judging by the layout of the cabin the other bunks had been pushed back to make way for the new one.

I approached it as if drawn by some force and only then saw the beautifully carved white feather marked into the headboard. I immediately knew what it was: a dove's feather…or rather, a _Dove__'__s_ feather.

_Mother…_

Another tear fell as I collapsed forwards onto the mattress. Then, strangely, the lingering smell disappeared and I was engulfed in the smell of nature; pine and the scent of a crisp morning in the forest surrounded me. I didn't even have the energy to marvel at the charm that must've been placed on the piece of furniture as I fell into a deep and welcoming sleep.

-A-

Did I ever tell you that I hate mornings?

I was awoken by the gentle rapping on the cabin door.

My eyes opened and I remained there, staring at the wooden ceiling. The rapping continued.

I wondered what would happen if I simply remained there. They wouldn't dare break down the door of Artemis' cabin, would they? I had a supply of nectar and ambrosia, and each cabin _did_ have its own toilet facilities, so…

My train of thought froze as my eyes drifted to the symbol of my mother on the flag from the previous night, hanging off the cabin's door handle. It was then that I realized what I was doing.

_You're hiding again. What would the Lady Artemis say to that?_

I'm no coward. I gripped the bedsheets angrily and pulled myself up. I stared at the door.

_I will not be ashamed, and I will not apologize for being what I am!_

I gritted my teeth and felt my bow form in my hand. What I would do with it, I had no idea, but I suppose it was a comfort thing.

Whoever was outside had obviously heard me moving about, as the knocking had stopped.

I grabbed a quiver that was lying in the cupboard at the far end of the cabin, and as I walked to the door I began forming arrows, dropping a new silver bolt into the sleeve with each movement of my hand. As I reached the door I felt a reassuring weight on my back. It was another comfort thing…

I undid the bolts and yanked the door open. My eyes quickly adjusted to the light, and I found Chiron staring down at me in the morning light. A semi-circle of half-bloods was behind him, all of them councilors from various cabins.

"Found me, did you?" I asked rhetorically.

Chiron inclined his head. "This time round, Armani, I now deduce two possibilities." I sighed drearily and inclined my head for him to continue. "Possibility one: the enchantment on the flag was tampered with and you have taken the utterly suicidal risk of hiding out in the Artemis cabin…"

"Or?" I prompted.

"_Or,_ there's possibility number two; that I think you're about ready to elaborate on those facts you omitted when you first arrived."

I sighed and gripped my bow tightly. The centaur's eyes drifted to it and I saw recognition as they widened in surprise. "And what do you intend to do with that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know…will I be needing it?"

Chiron smiled sadly. "Regardless of what's changed, you remain among friends here."

He was right and I knew it.

Chiron took a few steps back to allow me out. I removed my quiver and flicked an arrow. It and the others shimmered and disappeared in a flash of light. I noticed the centaur take a step back at that as I turned to toss the quiver back in the cabin and close the door.

"Possibility number two seems more and more likely, as impossible as it may seem. Where would you like to talk?" the Centaur asked quietly.

"Follow me," I responded flatly and turned towards the forest, Chiron and the half-bloods following close behind. Out of the corners of my eyes, I noticed numerous eyes peeking out from behind curtains in the cabin windows as I passed. "I don't think I heard the morning wakeup horn."

"I thought it best we talk _before_ everyone else gets up," Chiron replied as he took up position at my side.

"Tell that to _them,_" I said, still staring dead ahead, and I noticed Chiron arc his head around. Suddenly all the curtains were flung sharply back into place.

"Can you blame them for being curious?"

"I suppose not."

-A-

We entered the forest and I approached a tree and rapped lightly on the bark.

"What are you doing?" I heard William enquire.

"You're not the only one who needs to hear this," I said as a head peaked out of the bark, rubbing the sleep out of her hazel eyes. They brightened upon meeting my own. I think she caught the seriousness in mine as she immediately peeled herself free of the wood.

"What's wrong?" she enquired, her large brown eyes filled with concern.

"It's nothing… I just have a story to tell, that's all. Why don't you join the campers? You can pass the info on to your sisters later," I said solemnly, and the nymph walked over to the campers, who were now leaning against trees or sitting down on the earth.

"I suppose I should explain myself," I said. I had handed my bow to Chiron, who was examining it with intrigue while listening to me. "My name is Armani Dove, and I _am_ the son of Artemis."

"But that's-" Mila, the Aphrodite Councilor, interrupted. I silenced her with an angry glare and raise of a hand.

I knew the dangers of explaining everything in front of her, especially after Athena's warning, _especially_ if I wanted any hope of keeping myself from the gods. Why? It's not so much because she's an Aphrodite child, but because it's well known that the best method for information dissemination in the world is amongst the following possible choices:

a. Telephone

b. Telegraph

c. Tell a girl

And I'll give you a hint: a and b are tied for second place.

And on that I began telling my story to my assembled audience…

-A-

Thankfully, they followed the rules of the lecture and saved any comments or questions for the end.

I felt quite relieved, to be honest. I was now in mortal danger, sure, but at least I had that weight off my chest.

William laughed sadly. "And we all went with the 'he hexed the flag' option. It was only Annabeth who thought you might have _actually_ been Artemis' kid."

I glanced at the blonde girl, who looked quite solemn now. She smiled weakly when she saw me looking. "You summoned the wolves of Artemis, that and the flag sort of got me thinking. Also what you said about why my mother might be curious about you. I can certainly see why now…"

Clarisse still appeared to be trying to wrap her head around the facts. "So wait, you're the son of Artemis, but she also made you a Hunter right?" I nodded. "So, like, what does that make you?"

My brow knotted at the question. "I don't really know myself… Hunter squared perhaps?"

Chiron spoke up next. "I've seen Artemis' bow a few times over the centuries, and this is either it or an absolutely _perfect _replica."

"That's unsurprising, considering they both come from the same place, so to speak." I closed my fist in Chiron's direction and my bow vanished in his hands. He seemed somewhat put out at that but didn't complain.

"But it can't be…" Mila breathed, "Artemis can't have a child and _still _be a virgin."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It was just explained, Mila, or weren't you listening?"

I could understand why she was frustrated; one of the things Aphrodite had been hanging over my mother's head for centuries was the fact that she was the goddess of childbirth and yet had no children of her own. To an Aphrodite child it probably looked like Artemis had insulted their mother…and to add to that insult, she had done it without even trying.

"And what about love, huh?" she suddenly demanded in an angry tone. "Do you even _feel_ that?"

"I take it that it's _romantic_ love you're referring to, yes?"

"Yes! Love; the most wonderful thing in all of creation! Or is your heart as cold as your mother's?"

My eyes narrowed. "I don't like your _tone_. But as for love…" I paused to think, "…I have no real feelings towards it one way or the other." I think my utter indifference just made her even angrier, as she pushed herself up and stormed off, radiating indignation.

"You've made an enemy there," Will observed as he watched the girl leave.

"To be honest, I think it's better if she dislikes me than _likes_ me, if you follow"

Annabeth spoke up, "I wouldn't be so sure, the Aphrodite campers can pull some _nasty_ tricks on people they don't like. Aphrodite is not a goddess you want on your bad side."

"Well Ares has got nothing against Artemis, so I don't care about all this one way or the other. I don't see what all the big fuss was about," Clarisse said, shaking her head.

"So which of the gods know now?" Chiron enquired.

"Besides Apollo and Artemis, obviously, there's Zeus and Athena-she'd been following me for several days apparently before she announced herself, so I'm pretty sure she's seen most of the tricks I have up my sleeve. I guess that's it for now."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully, "Quite like Lady Athena to get ahead of the game, but that will soon change. I have the feeling that news of your existence shall be reaching several of the other gods quite soon."

William, however, seemed quite happy at the revelation. "Hey, but this is great! Artemis has a kid! We should like totally have a party to celebrate!" I suppose it was in his nature to be elated at the news.

"I knew it…" The nymph girl who had kindly identified herself as Lya spoke up suddenly. "I _knew _there was a reason!" she said happily, springing to her feet, her long chocolate-colored hair trailing behind her as she clapped her hands in delight.

"A reason for what?" I enquired with a raised eyebrow.

She carried on without telling me. "This is _big_! Big big big! I've gotta tell the others! No, I've gotta tell _everybody_!"

"_Actually,_ I would prefer it if you-ah, never mind, she's already gone," I sighed as the girl gleefully bolted off into the forest. "I should probably worry about that…"

"So, what about boys?" William suddenly asked. Like his father, he was awash with curiosity.

"What about them?"

"Y'know, you're a Hunter _and_ your mom's Artemis, so can youstand to be around us guys?"

"I can stand to be around myself, so yeah; I've thankfully cured myself of that little prejudice."

"You must also be careful not to get on the bad side of Aphrodite herself…if you can avoid it, that is," Chiron said in a warning tone.

"I know."

"I hope you do, because if you don't, you'll find yourself at odds with two other gods along with her."

I knew who he was talking about. "Hephaestus and Ares." The husband and 'secret' lover of Aphrodite would no doubt both leap at a chance to posture in front of their Lady by blasting me into atoms.

"Well, as long as you understand your position, I'm sure you're going to be fine here, Armani. You might get some odd stares from some of the other campers but I'm sure they'll get used to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best go organize today's activities," Chiron announced as he turned about and trotted off back to the camp.

"Any further questions?" I asked the remaining half-bloods, who merely shrugged. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over. I had no doubt each would spend the next hour or so telling the information to their cabin mates, so I had that long to eat breakfast in peace and then hide while they took it all in. On that note I turned and headed away myself.

I froze for a second as I realized I was being watched from somewhere in the shadows; I could _feel_ it, that undeniable sense of something wanting to hurt me.

I ignored it for now and carried on walking, but with an extra bit of speed.

Annabeth caught up with me near the edge of the forest. "Problem?" I enquired as she fell into step beside me.

"No problem, I was just thinking that _you_ look a lot like your mother, too."

I smiled ironically. "Met her, have you?"

She inclined her head. "A few times. Besides at Olympus, we've fought side by side…so to speak…against the Titans. She also saved me from being crushed to death by the sky. So I just thought I'd let you know; despite what you may think, you'll have at least _one_ friend in the Athena cabin." She patted me on the shoulder and turned towards her own cabin.

Suddenly I felt a lot happier inside. For someone who had inherited the cold logic of Lady Athena, she really did seem to have the ability to warm people's hearts. If I didn't know any better I would've pegged her for an Apollo child.

-A-

I ate breakfast swiftly. Trying out the Artemis table for the first time was nice, and oddly comfortable. I left before I caught sight of any campers emerging from their cabins and decided to hide out on the archery field for a while and shoot some arrows with my _own_ bow for once.

As I headed back to my cabin I could've sworn I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, somewhere in the shadows, but when I turned it had already vanished.

I scowled into the darkness.

_Something's following me…_

And so things went on as you might expect; that night I ate dinner at the Artemis table and there was the expected silence as everyone stared at me. I also had the added bonus of being able to eat alone, which is usually how I preferred it.

The freedom to be myself again among others was nice, too, and I noticed with amusement that, when practicing against me, Clarisse would often spare a cautious glance up at the sky, having explained to me that she had 'figured out' I was some kind of 'moonlight powered' half-blood. It was more true to say my strength waxed and waned with the lunar cycle, but I felt that would just confuse her.

The Aphrodite kids viewed me in two different ways; the few boys viewed me now with open scorn. The girls, however, looked at me with almost terrifyingly predatory glances.

Mila had taken to occasionally hurling a scathing remark as she passed by…but usually only when accompanied by the entire male portion of her cabin.

I had, however managed to scare some of the Aphrodite girls off after I…_implied_…that my powers could cause their monthly cycles to go haywire if they made me mad. Yeah, they backed off a bit after that.

-A-

All the while this was all happening, I could feel an unfriendly presence shadowing me, and it wasn't until a few days later that I confronted it as I strode out into the middle of the forest.

"I know you're there, Nico, so why don't you come on out?"

Nico Di Angelo's shadowy form melted out of the shadows to my right. I noticed he was back in his black jacket and jeans, but he still had his Stygian iron blade drawn and at his side.

He was smiling, but not in a good way. "So… A Child of Artemis, is it?" he enquired dryly and began to walk a slow semi-circle about me.

"That's right…do you have a problem with that?"

He stopped. "Well you see… As a matter of fact, I _do,_" he said in a disturbingly consoling tone.

"I've done nothing to you, Nico."

His façade melted in an instant. "You lied to me!" he shouted, stabbing his black blade at my chest. "You pretended to be my friend when you _knew_ how I felt about Artemis!"

"I wasn't lying!" I shouted in response. "I couldn't tell you at the time, and you know that! I'm still your friend, Nico, whether you like it or not!"

"We can _never_ be friends," he said in a low, venomous tone. "The child of death _friends_ with a child of _birth_? We are natural enemies, even before we _met_! Although I'll compliment you on this; you do have a nice smell of death about you, I wonder why that is?"

I frowned, I recalled the fury saying the same thing. "You tell me, _child of death_…so what happens now? Are you going to try and kill me or something? Or.. or swallow me up into the underworld for all eternity?" I asked with mock fear.

Nico laughed darkly, "Oh I'm not going to kill you, Armani Dove. I'm just going to _hurt_ you. I'm going to make you feel some of the pain that I do." The earth around him exploded as the sound of moaning and the stench of death filled the night air. A dozen hulking shapes pulled free of the dirt, each dressed in differing military uniforms. Unlike before, they weren't skeletons. These were much more… _meaty_.

_Zombies?_

"This is the night you face the Ghost King, Armani Dove!" Nico said as, with shocking speed, the undead forms lunged forwards.

_Run!_

_You don't freaking say!_

I turned and bolted, but they were in hot pursuit. As I pulled away, they would occasionally melt into the earth and reappear somewhere up ahead, forcing me to change direction and double back.

I was unarmed, and I knew my bow would have little effect against an animated corpse. I needed celestial bronze and cursed my foolishness for not bringing my sword.

I knew I could handle Nico if I got close enough for hand to hand. I had seen his combat skills and they were par average for a half-blood; it was his undead minions where his power lay.

They were boxing me in, forcing me to double back constantly. I knew the nymphs couldn't help me out this time; things of the underworld petrified them.

Just as I was contemplating taking to the trees, one of the creatures exploded up from the earth in front of me and pinned me up against the oak I had been planning to climb. As I fought to slip free, two more appeared to my right and left and I was stuck tight. I cursed the situation…

_I HATE dead things!_

Now this fact may not surprise you…

Wait…I'm repeating myself…

Fast forwarding a bit…

-A-

"No, Armani Dove. What I am…is upset," he said, raising his black blade. I could feel my skin begin to burn and it wasn't even _touching_ me yet.

I saw anger in Nico's eyes, but they were filled with sorrow, too. I had opened up an old wound. Perhaps I _deserved_ the pain he wanted to give me. "I'm sorry," I said suddenly.

He faltered. "_What_?"

"I'm so sorry about what happened to your sister," I said, no longer even meeting his gaze.

"Don't you even _talk_ about Bianca!" he snapped. He waved his blade angrily and I felt him inadvertently press the black steel into my cheek.

I screamed in agony as pain ripped through me. I was dimly aware of a small hand that leapt up to grab Nico's; it was the wood nymph, Lya. "Please! Stop hurting him!" she begged. I was actually quite awed at her bravery; for a nature spirit to leap into the fray surrounded by nothing but death took some serious guts.

"Let. Me. GO!" he snapped and shook the little nymph free with such force he backhanded her violently with the hilt of his sword.

Nico seemed to snap out of his anger and stared in shock as the nymph cradled her face, sobbing loudly.

Okay, _now_ I was angry. "Nico, what in Hades is _wrong_ with you?" If I could have moved, I probably would've broken several of his bones on the spot. I suddenly wondered how long it would take half a dozen wolves to tear him limb from limb.

He stared at me and at the mark on my face as if only now realizing what he had done, and then back at the girl who was pulling herself up. "I- I didn't mean to…"

Above my swirling emotions I suddenly felt something in the distance; a familiar tug in my gut, but it _couldn't_ be…

_Oh, no._

"Nico… Nico, I _strongly_ suggest you let me go now!" But he wasn't paying attention; he was lost in shock and self-disgust. His sword lay discarded on the earth as his hand reached out toward the nymph girl. "Nico!"

"I swear I didn't mean to-" he was cut off as the sound of a horn filled the air. I thought for a second it was the camp horn, but the tone was different, clearer, more piercing…

Recognition flashed in Nico's eyes.

I turned quickly to Lya. "Back to your tree, _quick!_ I'll be fine, I swear!" The nymph nodded tearfully and melted into a nearby spruce.

"No! No! _No!_" Nico snapped angrily, looking around into the forest. He had clearly got his rage back. He had obviously heard that horn before. He reached for his sword, but a hand shot out of a hedge and grabbed him by the neck.

The son of Hades froze as a familiar voice spoke up. "Hello, Nico…" An instant later the half-blood lit up as tendrils of electricity arced through his body. He immediately collapsed.

As the zombies exploded into dust, I managed to catch Nico before he smacked his head on a waiting rock on the ground. "That was unnecessary!" I snapped at the darkness. I had been getting through to him, I _knew_ it.

"_You're welcome,_" Thalia said sarcastically as she emerged from the darkness, her silver lieutenant's band glinting in the night. "Nice to see you, too."

"Aren't you going to tell your friends to show themselves?" I muttered. I could sense two others still in hiding.

I saw Thalia wave and two other Hunters emerged out of the darkness; I recognized them as the only other two followers of my mother whose names I actually knew.

"Steff," I greeted her. I could remember _her_ quite well, considering I had once used her as a hostage. _That_ sticks with you. "And… Annoying Blonde One…"

_Wait… No…What was it again?_

"_Aren_!" the petit tomboy snapped indignantly.

I picked up Nico and began carrying him towards Cabin Thirteen. "You _looked_ like you could use our help," Thalia objected as she followed. She could clearly sense my irritation.

"_Yeah?_ Well, a good hunter should learn to look beneath the surface. There was no need for you to blow your little horn _or _hit Nico with the Thalia Neck Pinch!"

"Don't call it that!" she snapped, but I could've sworn I heard Steff snicker. I probably wasn't the first to refer to it as that.

I dumped the slumbering Nico on the veranda of his cabin and turned to the trio. "I suppose I should ask what exactly it is you want."

"You don't have to be so _rude,_" Thalia muttered as I walked past her towards the camp.

I sighed and stopped. "Forgive me, it's just been one heck of a past few days, and I sort of brought little Nico's wrath down upon myself."

"He bears a grudge against Artemis?" Thalia guessed.

I nodded my head and walked on. "And me, at least _now_ anyways. So, I'm going to assume my mother sent you, am I right?"

"Yeah," Thalia replied.

"And here was me hoping you just wanted to see me." It was a light tease, but I noticed it made them uncomfortable for some reason. I ignored it for now and carried on.

"How… How have you been?"

I froze; it was clearly Aren's voice…and if I didn't know better I could've just _sworn_ she had just asked me…no…better get confirmation.

"_Excuse me?_" I inquired incredulously.

Both she and Steff shifted nervously. Steff spoke up after a moment. "The Mistress…worries about you, although she doesn't say anything. There are times when it's clear she's thinking about you and….well…so do we."

I blinked. "You do?"

Aren seemed to find her voice. "You're _of_ Lady Artemis; you're a part of the Hunt! And so…"

I raised a guarded eyebrow. "I can't exactly be sure, but are you trying to be… _nice_ to me?"

They were both blushing nervously. Obviously they had been thinking on me and had come to the startling revelation that I was sort of like their beloved mistress. "S-so, if anyone's giving you any trouble at camp, just let us know whilst we're here and…" Steff trailed off. I suppose after scorning boys for hundreds of years, suddenly trying to be pleasant to one would convince her that a boy would only think her words sounded insincere.

"No need to overcompensate, girls, we're good."

"Cut them some slack, Armani", Thalia warned, and then smirked. "_Although,_ I suppose it's sort of made easier for them, what with you being so _effeminate_ and all. Nice braids, by the way."

I felt myself blush violently and continued off a little faster. "Send my mother my love and regards!"

"Wait! We forgot to tell you why we were-" Thalia was cut off however, as a delighted voice sounded up and I realized we had paced right into the center of the cabins.

"_Thalia?_" It was Annabeth, and she didn't wait for the black-haired girl to respond before she had enveloped the Hunter in her arms. Once Thalia's shock wore off, she embraced the blonde girl warmly in return. "It's been ages! By the gods, what are you _doing _here?" Annabeth asked, practically beaming in delight.

Thalia shrugged. "On a mission for Lady Artemis, which reminds me…" she paused as she realized a crowd had gathered around us. There was a group of Aphrodite campers glaring bloody murder at us, and I realized that Steff and Aren had taken up flanking positions; just behind me and to the left and right respectively. Not too long ago I would've called myself nuts for even considering turning my back to them.

Thalia had melted away from Annabeth and turned to me. Suddenly Mila's voice spoke up, "So, you called on mommy's little helpers did you? What, too much of a coward to be here all by yourself?"

I felt Aren lurch forwards and on instinct. I raised a single hand up and she halted dead, and for a second I wondered if commanding my mother's Hunters was _another_ ability I had inherited.

_Gods, I hope not…_

"Leave it, Aren" I muttered . Then I turned around and headed for cabin eight.

"You can't just walk away from me!" Mila snapped indignantly. Obviously she was hoping to make a scene with all the other campers watching.

"Really? Well here I am; this is me, _walking away_…it's _so_ difficult! Oh, I'm not sure if I can keep it up!" I heard snickering from the other campers and then the sound of Mila scoffing and storming off again with her cabin in tow.

I sighed and opened the cabin door. "Does that happen often?" Thalia asked.

"It's her thing: she poses, I ignore her, rinse and repeat."

"Armani…" she began as I strode into the cabin, "…You've been summoned to Mount Olympus."

I skidded to a halt and fell silent for a moment. "So…it's time, is it?" I mused out loud. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're ready. Lady Artemis is waiting for you there."

"I see." I suddenly noticed Annabeth hanging around the door. "Come on in, Annabeth. Oh, right. I, Armani Dove, invite you into cabin eight on behalf of the goddess Artemis," I droned. Olympians could be so dreadfully formal.

She uneasily stepped inside and glanced around, "I've peeked in before, but something seems different."

"I've noticed that too," Steff said, glancing around. "It's not the new bed, it's something else."

"That would be the smell of _clean air,_" I said as I grabbed my bag and unpacked my regular clothes. "Do you have _any_ idea how hard it is to air out centuries of girl-smell from a confined wooden space? It's _very_ hard. Didn't think the place would _ever_ air out, it was seeped right into the wood grain."

"You…aired out the cabin?" Aren asked cautiously.

"I know, _nice_ to actually be able to breathe _oxygen _in this place again, isn't it?"

"I suppose…hey, what do you mean _girl-smell_?" Thalia demanded indignantly.

"Never mind…" I groaned as I peeled off my orange t-shirt and began to change.

"W-what are you _doing_?" Annabeth exclaimed, suddenly swinging around.

I frowned. "Changing. You don't really expect me to face the gods wearing _this_ do you?"

"Y-yeah but there are _ladies_ present!"

I glanced around, "Yeah, I noticed…what's your point?" I paused to glance around again as I peeled my shorts off. Strangely both Thalia and Annabeth were doing their best not to look, having turned a most peculiar shade of red. Steff and Aren had simply covered their eyes and were actually looking quite pale.

_Strange…_

"The _point_ is you can't just go around changing clothes in front of people!" Annabeth snapped.

Now I was confused. "It was never a problem when I lived with Apollo…"

"That's _different!_"

"How?"

"Are you really that dense?" Annabeth demanded.

"He is," Thalia moaned as I put my jeans on. "_Wait_, you've seen Apollo naked?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Near enough…" Strangely, she seemed to go even redder.

_That can't be healthy…_

"Are you feeling alright? Your capillaries look fit to burst," I said anxiously to Thalia.

"Just tell us when you're finished!" she snapped.

I glanced myself up and down, "But I am…_wait!_ Best put my coat on too, don't turn around yet!" I heard them sigh and turn around, "But I'm not done yet!"

"You've done the important bits!" Annabeth snapped.

_Okay…_

I threw on my black overcoat, strapped my sword on and grabbed my knapsack. "_Right_, best not keep the gods waiting."

"Right. Just _don't _do that again…" Annabeth groaned.

"Do _what_? I've got to get changed sometime!"

Annabeth looked about to scream, for some beguiling reason, but Thalia spoke up before she could. "I'll explain it to him on the way, Annabeth." She stopped to hug her friend goodbye and then ushered me out the door. "Let's go, _nature-boy__…_"

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] Wow, I'm actually running out of author's notes, but I'm assuming you're just going right onto the next chapter.

So I'll see you in Chapter 4: Just One Question…


	4. Chapter 4: Just One Question

[A/N] Hope you're having fun thus far and if you're still sane, more points to you. Game on!

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 4: Just One Question…**

"Off to Olympus Chiron! I'll see you later!" I shouted as we ran past the Big House at the centaur who was sitting reading on the porch. He leapt out of his wheelchair and staggered forward to object.

"W-Wait! Armani! You can't just go running off out of camp without permission!" he called after us.

_He's like Mila!_

"Sure I can. I'll see you when I see you!" I called as we crossed the crest of the hill and passed the pine.

Thalia skidded to a halt once we were out of range. "Did you really have to shout out to him? Centaurs are fast. If he'd caught us we'd have to stop and wait for authorization and Lady Artemis is _waiting__…_"

I frowned. "But that'd be _rude!_ I can't just leave without saying anything to him…"

The huntress groaned and walked on. "Let's just _go_… _Now_, about _stripping_ in front of girls…"

-A-

We were still talking about it when we entered the double doors of the Empire State Building's lobby.

"What about in a changing room with boys _and_ girls?"

"If it's unisex then that's okay," Thalia responded drearily (she brought it up…)

"Is it okay when you change in front of each other?"

"We're all girls, so that's also okay."

"But not okay when _I _do it?"

"No… That's _not_ okay!" Thalia responded tensely.

This was tough… I had obviously missed a very important step in my social development _s_omewhere.

As we climbed into the elevator and it began its ascent to the six hundredth floor I decided it was a time for a change of subject. "On another topic…"

"_Please_," moaned Aren. "_Anything_ else."

"Right, a thought just occurred to me," I said, turning to Thalia.

"What?"

"Zeus is your father, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And Zeus is my mother's dad, right?"

"What about it?"

"I was just thinking…does that make you my aunt?"

I heard Steff suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Thalia rounded on her. "Something funny?"

She wiped away a tear. "N-no it's just… _Auntie Thalia__…_"

And now Aren was laughing. Thalia was almost glowing, sparks dancing over her skin, and as the static she was emitting seemed to now be interfering with the elevator's electrics, both girls reigned in their laughter. I noticed the lieutenant taking deep calming breaths.

"But you didn't answer my question…"

Thalia arched her head round to me tensely, and I could swear I saw electricity crackling over her irises; she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as the elevator bell rang and the doors swung open.

_And here we are_…

-A-

I had never been to Olympus before. Its seemingly endless columns and sparkling white marble temples were indeed impressive.

I noted quite a bit of it was seemingly under construction. Obviously the aftermath of the Titan uprising hadn't entirely healed yet.

It took a while to reach the pantheon at the top of the mountain. Various minor gods observed as we passed, muttering and whispering. It would seem that word had indeed spread.

Aren and Steff waited by the stairway as we entered the giant stone structure. Trepidation was building inside me with each step we took down the marble stone corridor.

It was deserted so far, and I couldn't see the end of the corridor nor the room that lay beyond.

I paused, rooted to the ground.

"Frightened?" Thalia asked.

I nodded mutely and swallowed a gulp. "_Yeah__…_ I really am, as it just so happens."

I felt her squeeze my hand reassuringly and take her place at my side. "Come on, I'll be with you at least."

"Great_, _I can use you as a shield when Zeus blasts me into a million pieces."

She chuckled as we walked slowly on through the columns, "Very funny, Armani."

I swallowed again. "No, what's funny is that you think that I'm joking." She turned her head around and I found myself smiling. "Now, _that_ was me joking."

As usual, my method of taking my mind off things by making light an otherwise _terrifying_ situation worked like a charm…mostly. We emerged side by side in the throne room of the gods.

-A-

I thanked the gods (no pun intended) that at least they weren't _all_ here. I hadn't even looked up, but I could still see several chairs missing a pair of legs dangling from them. There was a lot of murmuring in ancient Greek, and I finally dared to glance up.

I took a steadying gasp of air at the sight before me.

Mother was there, apparently in the middle of arguing with Apollo, who was sitting in his throne directly across from her.

I took some strength from being in her presence once again. I was also, however, taken rather aback by the fact that she was ten times my size.

There was a burly-looking man in a leather biker's jacket, looking decidedly bored as he lounged in his throne polishing a pair of sunglasses.

_Ares, I presume._

I then observed a woman with black hair (and even _I_ had to admit she was stunningly beautiful) who was making subtle kissy faces at Ares whist simultaneously holding the hand of a large man with a leg brace and a dark beard.

_And there we have Hephaestus_.

The woman had to be Aphrodite, and I was glad she hadn't noticed me yet, as Thalia and I stood hanging back at the throne room entrance.

At the centre of the thrones sat a man in a pinstriped blue business suit. He and the demure-looking brown-haired lady in the throne next to him were the only ones who seemed to even notice we were there. The woman was looking at me inquisitively while the man was staring a hole into me with his electric blue eyes.

_Zeus…_

I saw Athena sitting with her fingers intertwined on her lap, the same way I had seen her before. She was observing my mother and uncle talk, although I suspected she had seen me already.

There was also a man wearing a fishing hat, who appeared to be focused on tying fishing flies on the arm of his own throne. He appeared as equally disinterested in what was going on as Ares was.

_Poseidon's here too?_

Thalia nudged me forwards with her elbow.

_Now or never, then_.

The instant I crossed the threshold silence blanketed the hall and I began the long walk towards the centre of the room. Thalia was following a respectful distance behind and I could feel the eyes of some seriously powerful celestial entities burning into me.

I glanced out the corner of my eye at Apollo, who shot me a reassuring wink. Then I glanced to the left. I found my mother following me with her eyes; they seemed gentler than I remembered, and I could swear there was the ghost of a smile on her face.

I stopped a respectful distance from the central throne. Silence prevailed in the cavernous room and I could sense them waiting for me to announce myself. Although it was not the throne my heart told me to bow to, as Thalia had said, 'you _must_ present yourself first to the lord of the house'.

Zeus stared down at me from his throne silently and so I dropped to a respectful knee. Thalia followed suit. "Great Lord Zeus…" I saw him nod his head in acknowledgement and so I rose up, turned and bowed respectfully to the throne of Artemis. "Honored mother…" she inclined her head with a smile that made me feel slightly less ill at ease. I turned my head around, meeting the gaze of each god and goddess in turn, "Great Lords and Ladies of your respective dominions… And Apollo."

"_Hey!_"

I faced Zeus now with head held high, "To what do I owe the honor of the summons?"

Zeus was nodding thoughtfully; obviously I had made the correct first impression. He then spoke, in a deep echoing voice, "You have been summoned here so we may discuss an issue of great consternation that has arisen among us."

I nodded, "And am I to believe, Lord Zeus, that this issue is…me?"

He glared down at me and nodded, "It is."

I took a deep breath to collect myself. This god simply radiated an aura of power, like lightning ready to leap to the nearest conductive object. "Understood."

The lightning god glanced up at the surrounding deities. "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

"I don't see a problem," Apollo said offhandedly.

"Nor do I," my mother said in a dismissive tone.

"You _would_ say that!" Aphrodite snapped, "Lord Zeus! He intruded upon your domain, and Artemis herself has violated one of our main edicts!"

"And what _edict_ might this be?" my mother enquired in a terse tone.

"That no god may show favoritism among mortals; _especially _their own children! And what did you do? It has come to light, my family, that Artemis made her child _immortal_! If that's not showing favoritism, kindly tell me what is!"

Zeus was running his fingers through his beard, "That _is_ true… Artemis?"

"Father… I have already accepted responsibility for violating your domain and I thought you forgave me that… _didn't you?_" There was a strange note in her voice as she said this, and there also seemed to be an odd glistening quality to her eyes.

Zeus grumbled something inaudible. "Yes… I do recall saying those words, but that does not dismiss the primary issue at hand."

"But father…he's the only one I have. You know I can never have another child!" Her tone was almost pleading, and I was stunned.

"Cut the act, _daddy's girl_! My Lord, the boy is an abomination! I vote we annihilate him on the spot and restore the order!" Aphrodite snapped.

_I'm caught smack in the middle of a divine family squabble…_

"C_areful_ Aphrodite…" My mother said in a low and dangerous tone.

"Or _what?_ What are you gonna do, little girl?" the love goddess taunted.

My mother just gave a pleasant and oddly terrifying little smile. "Why don't you ask my brother how his ribs are healing up?"

I noticed Apollo shift uncomfortably in his throne. Obviously when a god is attacked by another it takes time for them to completely recuperate.

"You wouldn't _dare_…" Aphrodite hissed.

"That's just it…this is a new situation…and I'm not entirely sure just _what_ I might do." Aphrodite seemed to lean away in her throne.

"_You little__…_"

"_Enough!_" Zeus bellowed. I heard thunder rumble outside. "I will not have this petty squabbling in my halls!"

"If I might interject…" Athena spoke up demurely, raising a finger. "We have accepted this boy as the only child of Artemis, am I correct?" The other gods inclined their heads. "If this child's life expectancy is indefinite, with the exception of him being killed in battle, then the order will simply remain static and unchanging in that area. If anything, his death would represent a return to the old order, a devolution if you will. Unless Artemis has plans to start breeding immortal children, then I believe there is not an issue; the deed is done, the world has changed and it is childish to cry over spilled milk, as the mortals would say. If anything I am curious as to what this child will become."

_Wait…did Athena just…VOUCH for me?_

Aphrodite just scoffed, "The _order_ isn't the problem here! Nor is your ridiculous curiosity! Go build a shed or something! The problem is that Artemis broke the rules-rules that we _all_ agreed upon thousands of years ago!"

"I get the feeling Aphrodite has it in for me," I muttered sideways to Thalia.

"Gee Armani, whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

"We could argue about this for _centuries_..." Zeus groaned.

"Well, none of us are getting any older," I mumbled and Zeus raised a single grey eyebrow. "Sorry sir…slipped out…"

"It would seem there is no other choice but to put it to a vote," he decided after a moment.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't follow," I felt I had to interject.

"They're going to vote on you," Thalia hissed in my ear.

"You mean they're just going to _vote_ whether or not to blast me out of existence?" I whispered back.

"…yes."

"Oh well that's just _spiffing_…"

My mother gripped the arms of her throne, "If that is the case then I-"

"-will abstain." Zeus interrupted.

_Oh, sweet Hades…_

"But…Father!" she gasped.

The lightning god raised his hand, "As will Aphrodite and myself. I must remain impartial and, as the accuser, Aphrodite forfeits the right to vote."

"Oh, come on!" the love goddess snapped.

"I don't see the problem," Athena interrupted. "It's plainly obvious which way you both would've voted anyway. You virtually cancel one another out."

_She has a point there._

"Hera?" Zeus asked his wife.

_Here we go…_

She hummed thoughtfully, "_Well_… He _is_ a pretty little thing, and I'm sure he would make such a wonderfully promising influence on our little black sheep Artemis. But I'm sorry dear, I simply _cannot_ abide by the sheer chaos and infighting your presence would bring on the family. I think it's best you go."

_I'm not sure if there was a single part of that I didn't find insulting._

I didn't need to turn around to know my mother was glowering as Hera looked up. "Oh come now dear, don't look at me like that, you know it's for the best. If you want to have a son, go out and find a nice man to help you with it."

"Here, here," Aphrodite called up.

I could sense my mother's indignation, and to be frank, I shared it. If it weren't for my survival instincts keeping my mouth frozen as a tight line I'd have probably said something that would've had me obliterated on the spot.

Zeus nodded, "Very well Hera, your vote is cast." He looked to the side. "Ares?"

He didn't even glance up from his sunglasses, "Kill 'im."

_Charming…_

Zeus sighed. "You, Apollo?"

I turned my head around to face my uncle, who was now looking decidedly smug.

_Oh gods, here we go…_

"Well, well, well…bet you wish you were a bit more polite now, eh?"

I groaned. "Uncle, please don't…"

He smiled. "_All right, _I'll vote for you…but you have to take it back."

"Take what back?"

He frowned. "You know what I'm talking about!"

I sighed. "_Fine_…You _didn't _cheat when you got a hundred percent at Through the Fire and Flames on expert mode. _Despite_ the fact you had your eyes closed the whole time…" Apollo nodded smugly. "…And _despite_ the fact that you didn't even _touch_ the controller…o_r _that you didn't…oh, I can't say it! Controlling the game with your mind does _not_ count! It totally defeats the purpose of challenging hand-eye coordination!"

"It does not!"

"Yes it _does_!"

"It does not!" he shot back. I could see the gods glancing between like they were watching a tennis match.

"_Fine_, then give me _one_ good reason that I should vote for you," he said, folding his arms petulantly.

_All right, if he wants a reason…_

"Because while at Camp Half-Blood I did you a bigger favor than you can _possibly_ imagine!"

His brow knotted together.

"What favor?"

"_This one._" I dropped my mental defenses for the first time since I stepped off the elevator, _just_ enough for him to scrape one memory off the surface of my mind; the memory of my conversation with his daughter. I watched as his smugness gave way to a blank unreadable expression.

He seemed to swallow a lump in his throat. "I vote in favor of my nephew."

I saw my mother frown slightly. "Brother? What seems to be the problem? You seem somewhat emotional…more so than usual."

He melodramatically wiped a tear from his eye. "No…it's just…he thinks I'm like sunshine on a rainy day!" And then he burst into hysteric, theatrical tears into the nape of his sleeve.

_He is never going to let me live this one down…_

Zeus rolled his eyes as Apollo continued his emotional act, "That's one in favor… Hephaestus... Be _quiet_, Apollo!"

"Sorry, Dad." He snapped out of it instantly and instead settled on humming 'Sunshine on a Rainy Day' to himself. Part of me prayed for Zeus to kill me now.

"Haephestus? Your opinion?"

The large man narrowed his eyes at me and grumbled, "its nothing personal kid, and I've got nothing against you, but I'm afraid I gotta side with the old ball and chain."

The look on Aphrodite's face was almost worth the fact that he voted for me to be destroyed.

_That's 3 to 1_ _for me going bye-bye…_

"Your vote is counted… Athena?"

The goddess of Wisdom narrowed her eyes at me, "Drop your defenses, Armani," she commanded simply. She could clearly sense me hesitate. "A vote in your favor from me is the only thing preventing your destruction. Do as I say."

I sighed and did the one thing I haven't let a god do since my mother, and let her in. My fist clenched at my side. Most could never sense a god looking into their thoughts and indeed weren't aware of how adept they were at it, but I was. I could feel her poking coldly about in my thoughts and recent memories in the same way someone may rummage through a drawer full of junk, "Kindly _stop_…" I pleaded; I could feel tears in my eyes as she dragged cascades of emotions to the surface. She froze and pulled back. Her gaze seemed oddly sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, most do not sense any discomfort. You were unintentionally resisting, so it required more force than usual."

_Stupid reflexes._

She breathed in and stared off into the distance, "_But_…I sense you to be a kind entity, if somewhat wild, and I cannot be sure what impact you may have on the future. But I am personally hopeful for this one and am curious to see how he will progress. So, on the grounds that you never refer to me as, and I quote, 'The Scary Owl Lady' again, you have my vote in your favor."

I breathed a sigh; that vote had come at the price of most of my composure. I tried to steady my head.

"Your vote is cast" Zeus intoned.

_2 in favor and 3 against, that would mean the best I could hope for is…_

My thoughts were interrupted as Zeus spoke again.

"_Very well_… Brother?" Zeus turned to Poseidon who, having immediately turned back to his flies after acknowledging my presence, obviously didn't hear him. "_Brother_!" Zeus repeated.

Poseidon blinked, "W-What? Oh, I don't know! I was only here to oversee the refit of the aquarium; do I _really_ have to get involved in this?"

The sky god scowled slightly. "You were _here_ at Olympus when this council was called, you know the laws as well as I."

"Oh, very well…" he sighed. He carefully set the hooks down on the arm of his chair and straightened up. He narrowed his eyes as he glared down at me, "Now let's _see_. Hmm…he's a bit _short_…not the most impressive specimen. If you were a fish I'd probably toss you right back."

"Uncle…" I heard my mother breathe. She actually sounded fearful.

_For me?_

The sea god smiled weakly. "I'm jesting with you, niece." Suddenly he seemed to turn formal. "The moon and the tide have always gone hand in hand. And on a more personal note, Artemis voted in favor of my own son when the last vote was taken. I now repay that debt. My vote is cast, brother."

I released a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding.

_Thank you, Poseidon…_

I heard my mother give a similar sigh. "Thank you, uncle." He merely winked and went back to his tackle.

Zeus grumbled, "It would appear we have reached an impasse, three votes for and against."

Aphrodite laughed. "Then the answer is simple, Lord Zeus; have Artemis revoke his immortality. He _lives_ but the rules remain intact."

"Father…" Artemis breathed and Zeus glanced at her, seeming torn. "I have not asked a favor of you in many millennia; I pray you grant me this one." I was shocked and touched at how far my mother was going for me. I'd have hugged her if she wasn't twenty feet tall.

_I guess these are the puppy-dog eyes._

"Athena already gave a valid argument on this. And it _is_ true you have not asked much of me these past centuries. But the vote was tied…"

"Father, if I may?" Apollo interrupted. Zeus inclined his head and Apollo rose and crossed the room. He leaned in towards the lord god's ear and began whispering something.

"_Brother,_" Artemis said in a warning tone. Obviously she was suspicious of him…and to be honest, so was I.

Zeus was nodding in thought as my uncle spoke. All the other gods were watching; even Poseidon had stopped his tinkering and was observing with detached curiosity.

"Hmm… Very well, I suppose that will suffice." Zeus nodded and Apollo pulled away and sank back into his throne. He himself looked oddly serious.

_Now I'm worried._

"It is decided" Zeus spoke. "You may leave this place unharmed, Armani Dove"

"My Lord!" Aphrodite objected angrily, but Zeus silenced her with a glare and she reluctantly composed herself.

Zeus went on, "And should you complete the task assigned to you and return alive we shall consider the matter closed."

"Brother! What have you _done_?" my mother demanded in a low tone.

Apollo frowned. "The only thing I _could_ do."

I didn't like his response, and clearly, neither did my mother, as she now looked quite fearful. I turned back to Zeus. "If I might be permitted to ask Lord Zeus, what is this task?"

He stared down at me, "You will know of it when the time comes. Just make sure you stay alive until it is completed and I will then consider you worthy of retaining the gift my daughter has bestowed upon you."

I blinked and glanced around, "So… What? That's it?"

"That is it," Zeus confirmed.

I suddenly felt immensely relieved, but now Apollo had planted a nagging sensation in my gut. "So what now?"

"_Now_ you return to Camp Half-Blood and enjoy your time there," Apollo said, then smirked slightly. "I'm sure my kids are taking great care of you."

My eyes narrowed. "Why yes, they are, as a matter of fact."

"_Any questions_?" Apollo asked sarcastically.

_He really knows how to get to me…_

"I think we should go now, Armani!" Thalia said, and grabbed my elbow to lead me away.

"_Actually_…" I began, and Thalia groaned. "…There is just _one_ question…something that's been bugging me ever since I walked in here."

"And what's that?" Athena enquired.

"It's just… Why are you all so…_big?_" Athena opened her mouth to answer, and then closed it. Suddenly I noticed all the gods were glancing around at one another.

_Can it be…they don't even know?_

"Because we are _GODS_!" Ares boomed. Athena rolled her eyes; obviously this was not the succinct answer she would have chosen.

They continued shuffling in silence for a second when Apollo finally spoke up.

"It's because, Armani…" he began with a sigh, "…The people thousands of years ago were really simple and we managed to trick them all into thinking that _this_ was our true form."

I raised an eyebrow. "And now?"

"_Now_ we're stuck with a giant palace, a load of comically oversized furniture, and a bunch of people convinced we're overcompensating for something!"

"Apollo!" Zeus snapped.

"Hey, don't look at me; the giant chairs thing was _your_ idea!"

"Maybe we should build a smaller palace…"Athena mused.

And soon all the gods were debating the benefits of DIY and minimalism.

I turned to Thalia. "_Now_ we can go."

Thalia turned to follow me. "Was that really necessary?"

"I have a saying: if you're going to leave a room full of people, always leave them _thinking._"

The lieutenant groaned and followed me. As we crossed the threshold something occurred to me and I squeaked to a halt on the polished marble.

"Oh, gods, what now?"

I peeked my head back into the throne room. "_Hey Apollo_!" Silence immediately descended and all the gods turned to me. "Spend some time with your kids!" I immediately retracted my head before my uncle could decide to fire a giant golden arrow at me. I turned to Thalia, who was now looking decidedly pale. "Now let's get out of here before they change their minds."

"I'd call you insane, but to be honest I'm not sure that's a strong enough word."

-A-

"Well? How did it go?" Aren asked as we emerged.

"I'm still alive…For now, at least."

Thalia turned to me. "I suppose when it comes down to it, you didn't do half-bad. Let's just get you back to camp as quickly as possible."

Steff sighed. "We have to go _back_ there?"

I immediately sensed the nearby presence, so I didn't need to turn around to know who was standing behind us.

"No… You will not be." It was my mother; she was standing by one of the columns of the Pantheon entrance and back in her normal size.

"Lady Artemis," the three Hunters said respectfully in union.

"Hi, mom."

She nodded her head in response and continued, "Thalia, take Steff and Aren and return to your sisters. I will escort Armani back to Camp Half-Blood myself."

"But Lady Artemis-" Thalia began. Artemis shook her head slightly and the daughter of Zeus immediately went silent. "The Hunt currently stands without any leadership; without you there I feel uncertain about your sisters, and this distresses me greatly. I must know the meaning behind my brother's words. I feel they could spell great danger. To find this out I must go to Camp Half-Blood myself."

Thalia nodded glumly. Aren and Steff looked upset also. "I will protect Lady Artemis," I began. I noticed my mother quirk up an eyebrow. "T-that is, I will protect her _honor_; not that she herself needs protecting."

"Nice save," Thalia muttered.

"Thanks…Anyway, once she's got me there and found out what we need to know I'm sure she'll be right along." I was trying to sound reassuring but I guess they just didn't like being separated from their goddess for long.

"Go now, Thalia. I assure you I will be back with you as soon as I can," Artemis said. Her voice was kind, but it was unmistakably an order, and so her Hunters grudgingly obeyed.

"Of course, my lady…let's go." The three turned and headed back towards the base of Olympus.

And there I was alone with her. A somewhat uncomfortable silence had descended, so I spoke first, "Won't they notice you've gone?"

She glanced back through the large doorway, "Not for some time; the last time they got into this argument, it took them three weeks to notice I was gone." I noticed she was hesitating. "What is…the norm…for a situation such as this?"

I searched my head for everything I knew about normal mother-child social interactions. "A hug would be the traditional exchange of affections, but since we-"

And then she did the most shocking and terrifying thing I could've possibly imagined.

She hugged me.

I yelped in surprise and tensed in her arms. It took some serious focusing to overcome my shock and hug her back.

I suddenly realized how warm and comforting it felt in her small arms. I was reminded of the feeling I had as I laid in my bed in cabin eight; I felt like I could just stand there for hours with her small form in my arms. For someone who can be as cold as the moon itself, her warmth as the lady of childbirth was…nice. However, I realized that standing for hours would be somewhat impractical, so we released one another after a moment; we wore identical, pondering expressions.

"Hmm," we said in unison.

"Odd, but pleasant," I concluded, and my mother nodded. "But let's never do that in public again, okay?"

"Agreed. Now, what comes next?"

"I suppose we … walk and talk." I noticed her become all business as she walked beside me on the long path down to the elevator, the occasional lower god stopping to bow in reverence.

"You handled yourself well, Armani…I am proud."

"Thank you, mother."

"For a time I was… worried."

I smiled weakly. "I take it you would like me not to point out the irony of that statement, given our history?"

"I would appreciate it if you did not."

There was a question I had to ask. "Why did you _really_ want to accompany me back to camp? Surely Thalia could've reported back well enough."

The goddess took a moment to answer. "I was worried Aphrodite might attempt to intercept you beforehand; for it is not over between you two, not by a long shot. And also…"

"What?"

"I wished to spend some time with you…strange, is it not?"

I smiled. I was quite touched at how uncertain she was. "I have missed you also, mother," I felt I had to admit.

I suddenly realized she had stopped. She was staring at the ground with an arm curled tightly around her stomach. "I was scared," she said, barely above a whisper. "For a moment I thought I was going to see you destroyed right before my eyes."

"Mother…" I suddenly realized why she went as far as to hug me; she was _that_ relieved. "I'm not disposed of so easily," I said lightly. "You should know that better than anyone."

She smiled weakly. "Yes, I suppose I should," she said as we continued walking. It took me a second to notice she had taken my hand in hers. She was squeezing it hard enough to turn white, but I wasn't about to complain.

-A-

We went back to camp on foot. The trip through the forest went by in a blur, and I couldn't believe how fast she could move—or, for that matter, how fast _I _could move when we were together. Yes, being with her truly was a strange feeling…but it was a nice one.

A stray hellhound had crossed our path at one point. My mother chose to take out her stress by kicking it into the air, punching it to the ground and snapping its neck with her bare hands. There was a dark look in her eyes as the creature perished-a wild, untamed look. Something told me she wasn't this way around her Hunters, and I realized with a start that this was a side of herself she had probably shown to none other than me. I dwelled on this as we reached the hill with Thalia's pine at its peak.

"And here I am again," I sighed.

"Oh? You enjoy this place as little as my Hunters, do you?"

"Actually, I believe it has been quite therapeutic for me here. It pains me to say it, but I think I owe a lot to this strange place."

"I am glad."

"Mother," I said, stopping suddenly.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing…but don't you think you should let go of my hand now? It…might look a little odd."

Her eyes widened and she snatched the small appendage back and clasped it behind her back, looking quite perturbed. "Yes. Now, let us proceed."

"Let's."

-A-

The Big House was totally deserted, so we ventured out into the main part of the camp, keeping our eyes peeled for Chiron. I eventually found Annabeth scribbling some notes on a blueprint at a table outside the Athena cabin. "Annabeth!" I called.

The blonde glanced up and leapt to her feet as soon as she saw me. "Armani! You're back! What happened at Mount-" she stopped as her eyes flicked to my side and widened in startled recognition. "Lady Artemis!" she said, bowing respectfully. "It's an honor to see you again."

The goddess inclined her head in response. "It is good to see you well, Annabeth. You've met one another, have you?"

I nodded. "Both as friend and as foe. Annabeth, have you seen Chiron?"

"I think he's out at the archery field trying to teach Rachel how to use a bow again."

I winced. "After what happened the last time? Jeez, I'm still shocked we had a proctologist _handy._"

"I know…that poor Hermes boy."

"A proctologist?" my mother suddenly enquired.

I thought about explaining, but then thought better of it. "Don't ask."

She considered this. "No, I think it best I don't."

"So, back already? Aw, looks like mommy's cut down your bodyguards to a third. _Oh_, how will you survive?"

_Oh gods, not now…_

Yes, it was Mila, still armed from sword training and flanked by about six of her cabin mates. I noticed Annabeth waving her arms behind my mother's head, making desperate cut-throat signs.

"_So__…_" she began tauntingly, swaggering forwards and leaning right into my mother's face. "What's your name, little Huntress?" she asked, patting her patronizingly on the head.

Annabeth threw her arms up in despair and stood back for safety.

I also began backing out of what Apollo would refer to as _the splatter zone_.

My mother just stared at her wordlessly, an expression of barely contained fury on her face. "Artemis," she said after a tense moment.

"What was that?" Mila asked with mock curiosity.

"You _asked_ for my name…" she replied in a terrifyingly impassive voice, still as a statue.

"So you're name's _Artemis _huh? Just like y-" she literally halted mid-syllable and my mother stared back at her. Terror and realization are a funny thing when mixed together. Her steadfast followers were already backing slowly away. Mila herself, _very_ slowly, withdrew her hand from my mother's head. She patted down the few out of place hairs and smiled in a very stupid way.

"Ten…" My mother began in an emotionless voice.

"W-wha?" the Aphrodite girl stuttered as she pulled back slowly.

"Nine…"

"I, I'll just…"

"Eight…"

"Uh…"

"Five…"

"B-but you missed out-"

_She's not getting the point is she?_

My mother's silver bow appeared, three arrows nocked.

"Four…"

"_Run_!" I shouted in frustration and the Aphrodite girl practically screamed as she and her campers bolted for their cabin and slammed the door shut behind them.

The sound of bolts being slammed home was audible even from two doors down, and then curtains were pulled closed so quickly I could swear I heard tearing fabric..

"They won't be coming out for a while," Annabeth noted after a moment's silence.

I had to ask. "Just out of sheer morbid curiosity… What would you have done if you had reached zero?"

Her bow vanished and a small smile pulled at her lips. "What indeed?"

I gulped nervously and followed after her.

"So what happened?" Annabeth asked as she fell into place beside me.

"I'll let my mother explain when we find Chiron."

"She's quite something," she said quietly.

"So is yours. I suppose I owe you a debt now, Athena voted in my favor."

"_Voted?_ You mean they were going to-"

"-yup, but there's apparently a condition to my survival."

"A condition?"

"Like I said, you'll hear in a moment."

-A-

We found Rachel in the process of pulling an arrow out of one of Chiron's hooves at the practice field. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Chiron!"

The centaur grunted as he yanked his leg back to try and get the arrow free. "Well, let this be a lesson, Ms. Dare, about the importance of obeying the safety regulations."

There was probably an anecdote here, but I guessed it could wait. "Chiron!"

He smiled upon seeing me and limped over on three hooves, pulling Rachel behind him, "Ahh, young Master Dove, I'm so glad you're still in one piece. I was beginning-" he then dropped so abruptly to one knee upon seeing my mother that he sent Rachel sprawling onto her backside. "-You honor me with your presence, Lady Artemis."

"It is good to see you again, Chiron," the goddess replied curtly.

Rachel stood, rubbing her backside, the offending arrow now free in her hand. "What's the big idea, Chiron?"

"Rachel, have you met my mother?"

Now whereas Chiron went for reverence, Rachel Dare seemed to decide on delighted curiosity. "Really? You're Lady Artemis!"

"I am."

She was leaning around Chiron to get a good look at her. "Wow, she's so tiny! Is she really your mom?"

The goddess turned her head around to me, "Do I have to start counting again?"

Best nip this one in the bud. "Anyway!" I said, gently ushering Rachel back, "I think it best we tell you what happened at Olympus."

Chiron nodded, "Of course, please; this way, Lady Artemis." The goddess nodded and the centaur lead us to the Big House while my mother recounted recent events.

-A-

It was late by the time we finished discussing everything, and an odd silence had fallen.

"What do you suppose Apollo was talking about?" I asked, but judging by the way they were glancing at each other they had a bad suspicion.

"It's probably nothing, Armani, best not to dwell on it," Chiron said as dismissively as possible. "Put it out of your head for now and I'm sure everything will become clear eventually."

I realized he was right; if something _was_ coming, then it was coming, and it didn't do to dwell on things I had no control over.

"I think it best we turn in for the night," the centaur said as the curfew horn sounded outside. "Lady Artemis, will you be dwelling in cabin eight tonight?"

"But of course."

_This is going to be an odd night._

-A-

…And now I was panicking.

How does one get to sleep with a _goddess_ in the room? Is there another bit of etiquette I don't get? Do I wait for her to fall asleep first? For once I wished Thalia was here.

"I carved it," Artemis said as I climbed into bed, startling me out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry?"

"The white feather, I did that. Do you like it?" she actually sounded quite nervous, as if I'd say _no_ or something.

"I love it, mother. Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome." If I didn't know better I could've sworn she yawned slightly.

"I didn't know gods slept," I felt I had to comment as the tiny goddess settled into the bunk next to my own.

"We don't. Not as you know it, anyway."

It was then that I noticed the song of the wild had become calm and fluidic as I lay back, and an odd suspicion dawned. "Are you trying to lull me to sleep?" I enquired drowsily.

"Is it working?" she asked quietly.

I didn't have the strength to respond as I sank into a deep sleep.

-A-

Unfortunately, it was then that I had a dream.

A familiar voice was speaking in the darkness. "-The fruit of your humiliation! And he's strutting about up there like he's king of the world!"

A smooth, dangerous voice spoke up. "The humiliation I felt when that shade escaped and Artemis blamed Persephone and I…the balance was _never_ restored…but then it never _is _for me!"

The image focused and I realized I was looking in on a black marble throne room that looked similar to the one I had been in that same day, except only two thrones stood here and the flames in the hearth were black and heatless.

A man and a boy stood before the thrones; a tall man of huge proportions dressed in silky black robes with long, flowing, jet-black hair…and the boy I knew: it was Nico. Then that would mean…

_Hades?_

He sat and gripped his throne angrily. "I will have this boy torn _limb from limb,_ and will make an example of him to the other gods when I _personally_ hurl his soul into the depths of Tartarus!"

"B-but we don't have to, you know, _kill him_. Couldn't we just…humiliate him? Make him sorry he was ever born… I mean…he doesn't have to _die,_ does he?" I noticed Nico now looked quite unsure of himself. He had the look of someone starting to regret something.

"SILENCE! You foolish boy! You bring something like this to my attention and you expect me to just leave it! Your sister would have known better. I will exact proper vengeance so perfect and apt the likes of it has only ever been seen in the Fields of Punishment!" He seemed to brood for a moment as he drummed his dark manicured nails on the arms of his marble throne. Then he smirked. "So… If at the hand of a shade he was brought into the world…then by the hand of a shade shall he be taken out of it."

"B-but father, if a shade is used then the soul inside is destroyed, and if Zeus finds out you destroyed a soul-"

"-Again you show how inept and blind you are to the laws of the Underworld! There are _other_ ways to make a shade. One is to use a soul already in the Underworld and put it into a body to send to the surface. The soul is then destroyed, but it is under the control of the soul within that body until the destruction occurs.

"Another way is to fashion one from a life that died but never made it to the Underworld! That shade is a shell, formed from the echo of the existence they once occupied. The difference being that _this_ shade can then be influenced and instructed with a goal which they will carry out single-mindedly until they complete it or the shade is destroyed in the process. This has the added bonus of them retaining the skills and strengths that they possessed in life! I hope you're getting all this down, there's going to be a test later!"

Nico was looking even paler than usual. "B-but…what do you mean, 'a life that died but never made it to the underworld'? Is that possible? I thought _all _lives came here upon passing."

Hades smirked, and his clothes seemed to scream in despair. "Oh, that's quite true, but there have been a few exceptions. And it's because of what those exceptions _are_ that makes this so beautiful…oh, the sheer, beautiful, _perfect _irony!"

Nico watched in horrified silence as Hades strode over to the black hearth and waved a hand. An image shimmered to life above it; it was the night sky, the stars shining brightly above the dark flames.

The Lord of the Dead plunged his hand into the image and black smoke began flowing out of his arm and into the image. "NOW LET US BEGIN!" he roared, and began laughing-a deafening, manic laugh-as Nico bolted from the room in sheer terror.

As the image faded a single thought occurred to me:

_Boy…someone's in for it…_

-A-

I was woken from the dream by a loud banging. As I bolted upright, Artemis was already opening the cabin door. Annabeth stood in the dawning light, totally out of breath and with a sheen of sweat on her face. "Annabeth… what's wrong?"

She spoke between gasps. "Get…Armani…to the Big House… NOW!" she shouted at my mother, and I knew it had to be pretty serious for Annabeth to forget just who she was yelling at. My mother seemed to realize this also, as she glanced at me and nodded. I changed with lightning speed and was out the door, sprinting towards the huge farmhouse.

I skidded to a halt with my mother to find Chiron and Mr. D on the porch, supporting a staggering Rachel.

"What's going on, Dionysus?" Artemis demanded, but it was Rachel who responded. Her hand was on her chest as if desperately trying to contain something.

"Get him here…can't… It's coming!" I staggered forwards. Her green eyes seemed to be glowing slightly.

Annabeth caught up a second later. "It's okay, Rachel, we're here!"

Her eyes seemed to focus on me, and as our gazes met she suddenly went tense and those eyes began to glow an eerie green. I found I was frozen to the spot. When next she spoke it was in a tone that was not her own…as if it wasn't really her speaking…as if something was speaking through her. "_I am the Priestess of Delphi__…__speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Know me and heed my words well._"

"Does she need a lozenge or something?" I asked Annabeth.

"Shhh!" she snapped back. "We're listening, priestess, what is it you have to say?"

"_The Child born of death and the Maiden of Light,_

_With the guilty, and daughters of battle and fight,_

_To the Desert of the Meadows and the Shattered Palace one and all,_

_lest the followers of the Eternal Virgin into darkness shall fall."_

The green light died and Rachel slumped forward into my arms. Everyone went silent. I found I had only one thing so say.

"Wow…and I thought Apollo's poetry was bad…"

_To be continued…_

[A/N] As usual, I'll be getting the next instalment up as quick as humanly possible, I'll catch you then!

To be continued in Chapter 5: Allies


	5. Chapter 5: Allies

[A/N] Salutations and hello! The reuploading continues, I won't keep you any longer, so let's just jump right on into it…

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 5: Allies**

I leaned against the porch rail, watching the sun peek over the hills as morning arrived, deep in thought. I sensed my mother right behind me, observing me silently. "Why do I always imagine I can see Apollo's smug face in the dawning light?"

"An amusing thought, but appropriate nonetheless. What are your thoughts?"

"Can't you tell?" I asked with a smile.

"I would rather you just told me." She was oddly relaxed, I noticed. Chiron was still inside, discussing the possibilities of the Oracle's words with Annabeth after carrying Rachel to bed.

"I'm worried. I also have the feeling you are too, and for exactly the same reason."

The goddess fell silent, and I took that as confirmation. "Perhaps we should go inside; I believe we should rejoin the discussion with Chiron."

I sighed. "Agreed."

-A-

"Then who is '_the Child born of Death_?'" I heard Chiron ponder as I entered.

"That would be me," I said, startling the Centaur out of his thoughts.

Annabeth paused. "How can you be sure? I mean, it could mean a lot of things."

I sighed and settled down on the arm of a chair. "Both a Fury and Nico's words are what led me to realize it. You recall how I said I was born, don't you?"

Annabeth nodded. "You said you were created out of the life force of a pure mortal combined with that of Lady Artemis."

I nodded, "But what I _didn't_ say was that the man who was my father was murdered in order to obtain his life force."

"But it only takes a tiny amount of a mortal's essence combined with an Olympian to conceive a half-blood," Chiron objected.

"I guess Midas just wanted to make sure."

"He speaks the truth," my mother spoke up from behind me.

"My father was murdered so I could be born. My life force was born from his death."

"So that's the first line," Annabeth said, "So you…and the Maiden of Light… could that be…"

"Yes," Artemis interrupted, "I have to assume that to be me."

"But…to put a goddess in a quest group! Such a thing is unheard of!" Chiron exclaimed.

The goddess nodded. "True, but my brother is the lord of prophecies, and it is just the sort of thing he would do considering the circumstances."

"Typical Apollo," I muttered in agreement.

"Indeed. It would seem it is not only you the others wish to test. As the one who granted you immortality, it seems as though I must also be involved."

"What worries me is the last line," I said. "_The followers of the Eternal Virgin_…and unless Hestia or Athena has been stashing a following up their robes…" I paused, the rest was obvious.

Annabeth nodded. "Lady Artemis again, and '_the followers_'…"

My mother inclined her head. "My Hunters; and I feel the part about _falling into darkness_ is fairly self-explanatory."

"So, if you and Armani don't go on this quest to _The Desert of the Meadows_ and t_he Shattered Palace_, then something's going to happen to the Hunters."

My mother nodded in response. "It would seem that is the case."

I glanced out the window and up at the sky. "It should be okay to try now," I mumbled, and pushed myself up, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth called after me.

"There's something I want to check on, come with me." The others frowned curiously, but followed.

-A-

"You have a hosepipe, Chiron?"

"Y-yes, it's around the side, but why do you..." he trailed off, as I was already disappearing around the side of the house. I returned a second later with the green tube trailing behind me.

"Take a guess…anyone have a drachma? I'm broke."

Annabeth rummaged in her pockets and withdrew a single gold coin, which she handed to me. "Placing a call?"

"Yeah…Chiron, could you hold this?" I passed the Centaur the nozzle, which he held up, allowing the thin spray to create the necessary light effect with the morning sun.

"What are you doing?" my mother asked.

"Right now I'm just praying I'm wrong," I said as I glanced up at the spray. "Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, I pray you accept my offering." I flicked up the coin and it disappeared as it struck the rainbow. I took a deep breath. "Show me Thalia Grace."

I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me and I knew they had caught on. For several tense seconds there was nothing but the sound of running water. Suddenly the air was filled by three mechanical tones, followed by a female voice:

"_The person you are attempting to call cannot be reached. Please check the name and try again__…__"_

I clenched my fist as the drachma was spat out and landed at my feet. I bent down, picked it up, and flicked it back into the light. "Show me the Huntress known as Steff."

That same voice spoke up again, this time with a note of irritation. "_The person you are attempting to call can ALSO not be reached, please check the name and try again."_

When the drachma reappeared I flicked it right back up into the air. I said tersely, "Show me _any_ of the Hunters of Artemis!" We gasped as the image shimmered, only to be replaced by my own reflection. "Oh, very funny, Iris! You know what I meant!"

_I'm arguing with a light effect_…

However, a second later, a short young woman, who appeared to be in her mid-teens, stood up in the image, as if she had been sitting below it the whole time. She mousy dark hair and a small pair of glasses. She also had the oddest eyes I had ever seen; they seemed to shift colors as I looked at them. The girl was wearing what _looked_ like one of those headset telephones you see in call centers. She also looked decidedly annoyed. Then she spoke. "Now, look here, young lady!"

_Young…WHAT?_

"You're the only Hunter still on my board! So stop bugging me, okay?"

I probably should have addressed the main issue at hand, but _still_. "Do I look like a young lady to you?"

The woman in the image adjusted her glasses and screwed up her eyes, as if trying to focus. It seemed she gave up after a moment. "Oh, I get it. You're a Hunter so you're really hundreds of years old, right?"

_Stay calm…stay calm…one, two, three…there. I'm okay._

"No…that is _not_- oh, forget it." I stepped to the side and turned to my mother, extending a hand toward the misty image. "Here_,_ all yours."

I heard her sigh, and then she spoke. "Hello, Iris. You look well."

The woman in the image narrowed her eyes and suddenly smiled. "Ahh, _Artemis_, how's my fellow light goddess doing today?"

"Quite well; might I ask a favor of you?"

"Well, since you asked nicer than that girl a moment ago did, sure!"

_Staying...calm..._

"Are you sure you can't locate a single one of my Hunters besides the one you were speaking to before? That was a boy, by the way…but it's very important."

"Sorry Arty, they all went off my scopes during the night. Last time I saw one was somewhere in the forests on the eastern sea board in the middle of the night."

My mother fell into silent contemplation. "I see…"

"A _boy_, you say?" the rainbow goddess suddenly asked. "Are you sure?"

Artemis sighed, barely listening. "Quite sure, Iris."

"Ahh, I see; changed your membership requirements, did you? Nice to see you getting with the changing times."

Artemis didn't bother to correct her, she just kept on staring. "That will be all, Iris. Thank you for your time."

The goddess seemed to sense her discomfort. "Well… I'll keep my eyes peeled and if I see anything I'll let you know, okay?"

"That's very kind of you, thank you, Iris."

"See ya!" She waved and the image disappeared.

"Always a bit of an airhead, that one," my mother mumbled, still staring blankly ahead.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked.

My mother swung around. "Now I must go. I have to go to the last place my Hunters were seen and follow the scent from there."

"Not yet you're not," Chiron suddenly said, deep in thought. He obviously didn't hear how that statement sounded.

The goddess turned slowly around to the Centaur. "_Excuse me_?"

He blinked. "I am _terribly_ sorry. What I meant was, you can't go _alone_. That is, unless you wish to risk going against the words of the prophecy, Lady Artemis."

I nodded, "I agree, it said…_one and all, lest the followers of the Eternal Virgin into darkness shall fall,_ right? We need to go, _one and all._"

I could sense that she was wound tighter than a spring and just wanted to run out and begin the hunt. I empathized; I felt that way most of the time myself.

She turned to me after a moment. "Then let us find the rest of our companions and be on our way."

-A-

I strode down the path to the dining pavilion with my mother and Annabeth, Chiron following close behind, "Who's this 'guilty' guy, then?" Annabeth wondered.

"I have no idea…" Chiron responded, he seemed as confused as Annabeth was.

"Then 'the daughters of battle and fight'?"

I hummed in thought, "I suppose that could mean a daughter for battle and a daughter for fight."

My mother summed it up. "A daughter of Athena and a daughter of Ares."

"Looks like I'm in, then." Annabeth said.

I turned to face her as I walked, "It doesn't _have_ to be you; you're not the only Athena girl here."

She shook her head. "I'm the one with the most experience; if anyone from my cabin has a chance of getting this done and coming back alive, then it's me."

I nodded; her logic was sound, as usual. "That's three; now let's go get our fourth…"

-A-

I steadied my nerves and knocked on the Ares cabin door. If I hadn't had a goddess with me I would never have been stupid enough to even _consider_ attempting this.

I caught the sound of disgruntled murmuring from behind the door, and a second later it was flung open by someone who looked vaguely familiar, except that her face was hidden behind a mass of violently tangled brown hair. She groaned and brushed her hair aside. It was Clarisse, for which I was thankful. I was not so thankful for the fact that she then chose to sucker-punch me square in the gut as a greeting.

I gasped in pain and staggered back a few paces.

"You'd better have a damn good explanation for this, Armani!"

"Ackh! Or _what_? You'll punch me in the stomach? Oh wait… You just _did!_"

She looked honestly confused. "What? I was just saying good morning!"

"_Good morning,_ Clarisse," I said with as much combined courtesy and sarcasm as I could muster.

She nodded with a smile. "Good morning, Armani. Is there anything I can do for you before I put you back to sleep permanently?"

_Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?_

"I need you to get dressed and come with me."

She sighed drearily. "And _why_ should I do that, exactly?"

"Because I believe it would be most unpleasant for you if I were forced to_ drag _you out." My mother answered coldly, in a tone I hadn't heard since she'd fought me that night in the clearing. Clearly, she was getting impatient.

"Oh ho, and just who in _Hades_ do you think-" Clarisse paused and narrowed her eyes at the goddess, then turned her head to me and gave a defeated sigh, pointing a finger at my mother. "That who I think it is?"

I nodded consolingly. "Yeah… Sorry."

She sighed again. "Be right out." She slammed the door and left us outside in silence while she made herself more presentable. I rocked on my heels, whistling a tune as we waited. "How's your chest?" my mother asked after a moment.

"Fine. Thanks a million for all your support, by the way."

"You're welcome, Armani."

Apparently, immunity to sarcasm ran in the family.

-A-

Once Clarisse had fixed her hair and joined us in the pavilion we walked her through the events that had transpired. Rather than seeming glum, she looked overly smug, which I suppose wasn't that surprising.

"Daughter of fight…well I suppose you came to the right place. It's been getting _way _too quiet around here, to be honest. Been a while since I had a good fight. So, off to hunt some Hunters, then?"

I nodded. "And as much as I know you hate being told what to do, as my mother's coming with us…"

"Yeah, yeah, the goddess is in charge, that much I got. Just make sure the rest of you don't get in my way." Her blatant overconfidence was actually quite reassuring, despite the fact she had just insulted us. "I'm not talking about you, of course," she added reassuringly to my mother.

"Of course."

"So when do we set off? Right now?" She seemed excited, but then I guess that was in her nature.

"I'd _like_ to set off before everyone else gets up, it's just…"

Annabeth picked it up for me. "We're still missing one person, the 'guilty' one."

Clarisse scoffed. "Stupid prophecies. If I had my way we'd be leaving right now."

"Unfortunately, you _don't,_" my mother interrupted. "Bad things befall those who do not heed the words of the Oracle, and I will not put my Hunters in that kind of danger," she said tensely.

Clarisse raised her hands defensively. "Hey, hey, I got that. I was just saying. Anyways, who's this _guilty one_?"

"Does it mean the one who caused the Hunters to disappear?" Chiron mused, "It would have to be someone from Camp Half-Blood, if you have to set off from here with that person."

"Where do we begin looking, then?" Annabeth asked.

I blew out a breath. "I'm stumped." I laughed ironically, "Unless that freaky dream I had last night had anything to do with it."

Oddly, everyone's heads seemed to turn to me in perfect unison. "W-what?"I suddenly felt nervous.

Annabeth spoke first. "A dream?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, you know, _dream_, meaning _a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep._"

She shook her head. "No, I mean you had a dream, and you didn't _tell us?_" she asked disbelievingly.

I sighed. "Annabeth, I once had a dream where a blue monkey had a boxing match against a kangaroo with the head of Richard Nixon. That doesn't mean I woke up the next day and called National Geographic just to be on the safe side!"

The blonde smacked her head. "Don't you know _anything_ about when half-bloods have dreams?"

"Apparently not."

My mother spoke in her usual cool tone. "When a half-blood has particularly vivid dream, it is often an omen of either events occurring at that moment or things to come in the near future."

I fell silent to absorb the fact. "So you're saying that the dream I had could've been something that was happening at the time?"

Annabeth nodded. "_Was _it a clear dream?"

"Like I was right there in the room."

"Who won?" Clarisse suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I just have to know; who won the boxing match?"

"Oh, Kanga-Nixon was disqualified due to a technical foul. The crowd was most unhappy."

"Back to more pressing issues," Annabeth snapped, "in this dream, the _non_-_monkey_ one, what happened?"

I fell silent in thought, and then pushed myself up. "Excuse me…"

"Wait! Where are you going?" Annabeth demanded.

I stared off into the distance. "To check on a hunch…stay here, _all of you,_" I said sternly to the group, then turned to my mother. "…Please," I added, and then I strode off towards the forest without another word.

-A-

He wasn't hiding. That wasn't a good sign.

Nico Di Angelo was sitting on a tree stump, his sword discarded on the ground beside him as he stared wordlessly off into the distance.

He knew I was there, but he said nothing. I broke the silence. "You told Hades." It wasn't a question.

He didn't ask how I knew, he just nodded. His eyes then began welling up with tears. "What's happened?" he choked out.

_Guilty one is right…_

"The Hunters have disappeared. All of them." He took a sharp breath. "Nico, what did Hades do after you left the room?"

"I didn't know, I wasn't there…what have I done? I just…Bianca…"

I would empathize with him, but I had no time. "_Listen, Nico!_ I understand! You were angry, and perhaps I was wrong for not telling you who I was, but what's done is done, and we need to start _fixing _it."

He turned to me, his dark eyes bloodshot. "How? All I can do is cause pain… You, that little nymph… My _sister__…_" he choked the last part out and sobbed into his hands.

I remained calm and level. "There was a prophecy, Nico, last night."

He froze and took his head from his hands. "_What_?"

"I had a dream, I saw you telling Hades about me—the _fruit of his humiliation_—very poetic, by the way. And Rachel had a prophecy the next day. There was a _guilty one_ mentioned and the Hunters have vanished. We're going on a quest to save them, and you're coming with us." This wasn't a question either.

"Me?"

I managed a weak smile. "I don't see anyone around here feeling guiltier right now than you do. No question; you screwed up. The question is whether you're ready to start making up for it."

He had stopped crying, at least. "Who else?"

I knew what he was talking about. "Myself, Annabeth, Clarisse and…" I paused as Nico suddenly took a sharp breath, grabbed his sword and leapt to his feet. "Nico_…_what are you doing?" I only now noticed that he was looking at a point over my left shoulder, his sword hand trembling.

I turned around.

_What?_

It was my mother, standing just on the edge of the undergrowth, silent as a ghost.

_How did she mask her approach from me?_

She had a dangerous look in her eyes as she began advancing slowly on the dark demigod.

Nico seemed to steel his nerves as he said, "would she have died?"

That seemed to give my mother pause. "What?"

Nico's eyes seemed to burn into the goddess he faced. "If you hadn't made her a Hunter, would she be alive today?"

Whatever chastisement my mother was about to deliver seemed to have been forgotten. She stared at him, an utterly unreadable expression on her face. "How can you _possibly _ask me that?"

Nico's despair seemed to have been forgotten and replaced with rage. "_No_! I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me, _Artemis,_ that you think Bianca would still be dead right now if you hadn't made her a Hunter!"

I noticed my mother's fist was clenched at her side; obviously the question had genuinely rattled her. "How could I possibly know something like that?"

"I didn't ask you if she _would_ have died. I asked you if you _think_ she would have died."

"I couldn't possibly have known what would happen to your sister."

"And I couldn't have known what would happen to your Hunters. Looks like we both tore our families away from each other _accidentally_."

"I was trying to help your sister!" my mother snapped angrily.

Nico's anger rose a notch and crossed into full-blown fury. "And you tell me there wasn't even a _bit_ of selfishness on your part? You saw a vulnerable girl you could take advantage of! You're worse than a _Siren_! At least they don't discriminate against which people they choose to lure to their _deaths_ with pretty words!"

_Splatter Zone, code red!_

_I know, but I'm too scared to move!_

My mother's breaths were coming in short, enraged bursts. She was a hair's breadth from snapping. "If it weren't for the fact that your words are spoken out of grief, I _swear_ I would kill you where you stand!"

_There's also the fact that we need him for the quest, but that works too…_

Nico seemed to be desperately trying to reign in his temper, but it didn't seem to be out of fear. "So _yeah_, you made me lose my family and I made you lose yours. At best, Artemis, I'd say we're even now."

His head swung around to me. "I'm in." Then he turned back to my mother. "See, unlike a selfish _thing _like you, I try to make amends to those I've wronged. My sister said I hold grudges too easily, but I'm letting this one go, _Artemis,_ and I'm going to save your Hunters…because when it comes down to it, I _can_ learn from what I've done. And that means, when it comes down to it, that I'm _better_ than you."

And with that emotional tirade he turned to storm off. That was when the most unbelievable thing I had ever seen happened.

My mother suddenly spoke up, in the smallest voice imaginable. "I'm sorry."

Nico froze dead and turned around slowly, clearly as stunned as I was. Now that I could see his eyes, it was obvious that he had started crying again as he walked off. He just gaped at Artemis for a moment. "_What_ did you just say?" he breathed.

"I said… I'm sorry."

I'm not sure how long Nico stood staring at the goddess, but he seemed to be swallowing a lump in his throat when he spoke again. "Like I said… I'm in." On that he turned and left.

_I think that meant… apology accepted._

Obviously Nico's words, spoken in a rage or not, had had an effect on my mother.

The little goddess stood in silence and in solitude. But I had no words, no smart comment, no witty sarcastic remark to cheer her up. Nothing fit. And so I did the only thing I could as she stood staring at the ground in silence. I took my place at her side, slipped my hand into hers, and simply let her know I was there.

Her hand closed tightly around mine and she didn't speak for a time. "Was he right?" she suddenly asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

_What do I say? Do I give her my opinion? Some advice on how she can change and grow as a living being?_ No… That wasn't what I had to say. Not this time.

"No, mother, he wasn't," I whispered.

"Are those your true feelings?"

"That's how I feel…as your son."

And then, in silence, she hugged me again.

-A-

My mother and I found the group still at the dining pavilion. Annabeth seemed to have cheered Nico up somewhat, and the two were chatting away. "Ah, there you are. We were wondering when the two of you would get back," Chiron called, and the conversation died. I noticed Nico avert his eyes and became unnaturally interested in his fingernails. My mother sat down across from him. She didn't seem angry or sad anymore, but then it's hard to tell with a goddess. I sighed; there was no use in worrying about it now.

_Que cera cera, as they say… _

I idly ran my hand over the rim of the hearth as the group settled. I quickly went into lecture mode. "So, it looks like we're all here, then," I said. My foot bumped something, and I bent down to examine the strange jar. I had noticed this beside the hearth several times. "So," I began, picking it up curiously, "I suppose we should start thinking about how we should get to our destination." I shook the jar, listening to the contents.

_Hmm…strange…_

"Anyway. I…" Suddenly I noticed the entire table was staring in shock. Mouths were hanging open, even my mother's; that wasn't a good sign. "What's wrong?"

Chiron raised a finger carefully. "Ah…Armani…put that down, would you?" he asked cautiously, as if his words would somehow cause me to drop it.

I laughed. "Why? You keep your fire-suppressing sand in here or something?" I asked as I moved to peek under the rim of the lid.

"_NO!_**"** the entire table shouted, and I froze dead. Suddenly, I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder from behind. I turned to find the small girl I had noticed stoking the hearth one night looking up at me with fire in her eyes. I mean, _literally_…there were actual flames in there.

She extended her hand wordlessly, and I gave her the jar. She immediately snatched it and hugged it to her chest as she walked off around the hearth, eyeing me suspiciously as she went.

_Strange…that must be the goddess of fire safety I've heard nothing about._

"Anyway, I think we should start heading out as soon as possible," I said as I walked back to the table. Everyone seemed to be giving odd sighs of relief.

Annabeth rubbed a cold sweat from her brow. "Yes, and despite almost robbing the world of all hope, Captain Klutz here is right. But first we need a course."

I gulped down the remainder of my now-tepid coffee and shuddered, then spoke. "Oh, that's fine, I've already figured out where we need to go first."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Really? You know where we have to start?"

I shrugged. "Sure, weren't you listening? The Desert of the Meadows. That's where we're heading."

Annabeth groaned. "We _know_ that, genius, but we need to know where that _is._"

I frowned in confusion. "But…we do know where it is."

I noticed people glance amongst themselves. "…We do?" Nico asked after a moment.

_They're joking, right?_

I groaned. "Yes, Nico. I'll give you a big hint; think of the place that represents the biggest, most evil, most blatant financial exploitation of adult mortals in the whole world."

Nico's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"By the gods, the boy's got it…"

"The Hunters of Artemis went to Disney World?"

"_No, _they_—_Oh, I walked into that one—but _no,_ Nico, care for another stab?"

"I got nothing," he said.

_Enough beating around the bush_. "Mother, how many languages do you speak?"

She hesitated. "All of them… why?"

"Including Spanish?"

"Si."

"Good. Will you be so kind as to tell us what '_the meadows__'_ translates as? And if I need to explain it from there, I _swear_ I'm going to hit someone."

She paused as it hit her, and not in the way I was promising to do. There were several translations, depending on context, but the obvious answer was "…las vegas."

My head slumped forward onto the table. I said nothing, just waved my hands in circles for the rest of the class to put it all together. Annabeth, naturally, was the first to speak. "The Desert of Las Vegas…"

I glanced up. "Last clue, kiddies, it begins with an '_N_'."

"We get it!" Annabeth snapped. "So, we have to go west to Nevada, and then…"

Clarisse nodded. "And then we have to go to the _Shattered Palace_…any ideas?"

I shook my head. "I've hit a total dead end there, but at least we've got our first destination."

"Great," Nico muttered. "_Vegas._"

I glanced at him. "What? Been there before, have you?"

"Let's just say I've spent quite a bit of time there."

"Oh? Didn't have much fun, then, did you?" I assumed.

"_No__…_As a matter of fact, the time practically _flew_ by." I didn't understand why his tone was dripping with sarcasm, but I guessed it was one of those things I'd better not press on.

"Well," I said, clapping my hands as I stood, "suit up, campers; we're goin' to Vegas!"

-A-

I gathered my personal articles together. My mother, having nothing to actually _gather_, simply stood in contemplative silence. "How do we get there?" I wondered out loud. "I get the feeling we don't have the time for an old-fashioned road trip."

"That much is obvious; we go by chariot."

I took it she meant _her_ chariot. "During the day?"

"I have no choice."

I nodded as I closed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. "I guess we'd better start moving, then."

-A-

Her chariot was bigger than I remember, although I suspected she had magically altered the dimensions to allow it to fit five. As we all climbed aboard, Annabeth looked dubiously at the Greek-style open back. "Are you sure it's safe to fly with all of us inside?"

"_Scared,_ Annabeth?" Clarisse poked her.

The Athena girl frowned in response. She muttered something I didn't catch as the wakeup horn sounded in the air.

"I think that's our departure call. Mother?"

The goddess touched the reigns, and with a blur of silver the ground disappeared from beneath us.

I was aware of everyone gripping on for dear life, but we all seemed to relax as we noticed there was no g-force whatsoever. It was like when the _Enterprise_ went from standing still to faster than light in less than a second and the crew showed no signs of—

_Damn you, Apollo! _

Annabeth glanced over the side as we went above the clouds. "I don't think Thalia could handle this."

I glanced at a small map. "Oh, why's that?"

"She's terrified of heights."

"Huh…ironic."

"Yeah…so if we go by the prophecy we can't go straight to Vegas," she said, getting back to business.

"Why's that?" I heard Nico ask.

I answered for her. "Because we have to head west, _over_ the Desert of the Meadows, not to Vegas directly."

"We have to search an entire _desert_? How are we supposed to know what we're looking for?"

This time my mother spoke up. "I have a suspicion that we will know it when we find it…or it finds us."

Annabeth sighed. "That's the thing with prophecies; the answer rarely just comes to you, it likes to hit you in the face when you least expect it."

I glanced down at the ground as the world streaked below us with impossible speed. "Where are we?"

My mother didn't take her eyes from the sky ahead. Obviously she was a more attentive driver than her brother. "We're crossing the mainland; it should not take too long to reach the edge of the desert."

"How fast does this thing go?" Clarisse asked.

"In Mythomagic, the Artemis Chariot accessory card says it flies at the speed of the moon's orbit," Nico said.

My mother turned slightly, peering at Nico out of the corner of her eye. There was a disturbingly Apollo-esque look on her face. "That's just the _cruising_ speed."

I ignored the idle conversation. Something was nagging in my gut. I had a restless feeling that I couldn't place. "Mother…go faster."

She turned to regard me. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know…I just have a feeling we have to hurry."

She turned forward again. "I know. I have that feeling too; I was hoping I was just being worrisome, but it would seem more haste is needed."

"What?" Annabeth asked, leaning forwards. "What's wrong?"

My mother answered her. "It's nothing, Annabeth, although I suggest you all grab onto something. The ride is about to get somewhat rougher." She shook the reigns and the chariot lurched forwards, the entire world becoming a blur around us. "I shall have to leave Poseidon to deal with the tides this creates; he will be most upset with me when next we meet."

-A-

At those kinds of speeds, it didn't take long to reach our destination. After a few short minutes, I could feel us slow down and begin our descent.

After a moment we found ourselves hovering, hundreds of meters above the ground. A vast yellow wasteland was spread ahead of us.

"It's big," I said over the silence. "Where do we begin?"

"I suggest we begin by continuing west until we reach Las Vegas." It was hardly a suggestion, since she had the reigns.

"Keep your eyes peeled, ladies." I heard an irritated cough from behind. "…And Nico."

"Thank you."

And so my mother's chariot began its advance over the endless sands.

-A-

We were still moving by the time noon rolled around, and the sweltering heat seemed to be getting to people. Both I and my fellow half-bloods were sweating profusely. The only one who seemed unaffected was Artemis—but then, being a goddess, I guessed my mother could simply choose not to sweat.

"Come on," Clarisse groaned as she mopped her brow. As desperate I'm sure as she was to fight something, she had been diligent in her observation of the world below.

"We will soon be approaching the city," my mother suddenly announced. Then she breathed hopelessly, "There's nothing…"

It would seem fate was waiting for that instant, as I suddenly felt the tiniest little tugging sensation in my abdomen.

"STOP!" I snapped, but my mother had already done so. Her head was turning slowly left and right. "It's weak…"

"Yes," my mother confirmed in a whisper.

"What?" Clarisse demanded. "What is it?"

"There's something out there, but _where?_" I gritted my teeth and abruptly grabbed hold of my mother's hand. She gasped in shock, and I immediately focused. The tugging in my chest intensified ten times over at the contact. I closed my eyes and focused, raising my free hand up and extending it into the distance.

"What are you _doing_?" Nico asked.

"Shh!" I hissed, "I'm tracking…" and suddenly I found that sweet spot in the air and my index finger reflexively flicked itself in that direction. "THERE! North by northwest, about three miles away."

"I have it," my mother said, and she veered the chariot sharply in that direction.

"Mother…hurry." She didn't respond, just nodded.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked over my shoulder as we picked up speed.

I kept my gaze focused in the direction we were travelling. "It feels like a Hunter…"

Annabeth gasped. "You've found them!"

I shook my head. "By the feel of it, there's only one, and the signal's so weak I barely even noticed it."

"What does that _mean,_ though?"

"It means that whoever it is, is on the verge of death." It was only a feeling on my part, but judging by how hard my mother was gripping the reigns she had the same feeling too.

-A-

It didn't take long to find something, a small concrete hut in the middle of the wasteland.

I leaped over the side of the chariot before it even touched the ground and bolted towards the small structure.

_Something's wrong here…_

The small building had a bolted steel door with a large padlock that didn't look like it would yield easily. At the top of the door was a small grille. I grabbed hold of the doorframe and lifted myself up to get a look at the inside.

_Oh, gods…_

"MOTHER!" In a flash the goddess was by my side.

"What is it?" She could obviously sense my urgency.

"_Get this open_," I said, standing back. She didn't ask for clarification, nor did she attempt to force the lock. She simply grabbed hold of the frame, ripped most of the front off the structure, and tossed it to the side like it was cardboard.

"What is it?" Annabeth demanded as the dust cleared. But she didn't need me to answer.

Lying sprawled out on the floor of the small, concrete, cell-like room was the huntress Aren.

My mother was already at her side, a look of deep pain on her face as she kneeled over the small girl. "Aren…"

Annabeth gasped as she caught sight of the fallen huntress. "Is she…" Nico shook his head slightly. "No…but, gods, what's happened to her?"

I crouched down at her side, cupped her cheek, opened one of her eyes and glanced at her lips. I knew enough about physiology to recognize the symptoms. "Xerostomia…the red cheeks and pupil dilation…" For the first time in a while I thanked Apollo for his teachings.

"What?" Annabeth asked. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's been drugged. She probably hasn't been conscious since she was brought here. Normally when someone's unconscious they're on a drip to keep them hydrated; but this room was like an oven. Her entire body's suffering from severe dehydration. We need to put her somewhere cool and get some fluids into her. If she wasn't a Hunter she'd probably be dead by now."

My mother was visibly upset, and was gripping her hunter's wrist in distress. "Who would do such a thing to such an innocent maiden?"

_That's a very good question._

"She's right," Annabeth spoke up. "Why would they just leave one of the Hunters out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"You don't think they've hidden them all over the country, do you?" Clarisse asked.

I shook my head. "No, I think this was what we are here for; the rest of the Hunters are probably somewhere else, together."

"But _why_ then?" Nico asked, "Why leave just one Hunter out here, in the middle of nowhere? If they wanted to kill one of them, why didn't they just do it? Heck, it's almost as if they _wanted_ us to find her!"

_Oh, no…_

My eyes widened as it hit me, and as I glanced at my mother, her eyes met mine I knew she had the same suspicion. As we wordlessly stared at one another I felt a tremble beginning in the ground beneath me. And I found, to my ultimate shame, that in that one tense moment, I couldn't prevent one of Apollo's pop culture references from surging through my sub-conscious:

_In the immortal words of Admiral Ackbar…_

"IT'S A TRAP!" I shouted, and I thanked the gods for half-blood battle reactions. They didn't question me as the faint rumble turned into what felt like an earthquake that would register nine on the Richter scale. We bolted out of the small building, my mother with the prone Hunter over her shoulder, just as a gargantuan yellow appendage exploded out of the ground, decimating the concrete structure like it was a sand castle.

We ran to a safe distance as the claw waved blindly in the air, crushing the remnants of the concrete into dust.

It seemed to pause, as if unsure where to go. "Nobody move… Nobody makes a _sound,_" I hissed. "Everybody back away… _very slowly._"

"What is it?" Nico whispered, stepping slowly to my side.

"I don't know; some kind of insect. It's tracking on vibration. See those tiny hairs on the claw?"

"You mean the five-foot long ones?" he mumbled.

"Probably felt us the instant we landed."

"Who _cares_?" Clarisse shouted, and I turned my head angrily as she drew her spear. "This quest just got interesting!"

"We need to get Aren to safety before we start fighting giant claws," Annabeth retorted.

I sighed. Obviously they'd given up on being silent. "You do know there are usually _bodies_ attached to limbs, don't you? Mother?"

She nodded. "Judging by the vibrations, its body has to be at least fifty meters long."

"I didn't sense it coming."

She inclined her head. "Nor did I; for some reason, _this_ beast is outside my dominion."

"Then let's _kill it _and be done!" Clarisse objected, and angrily jammed the base of her bronze spear into the earth.

_No!_

The claw tensed and shot downwards towards the half-blood. She leapt to the side with the instant she had to spare as the limb smashed down like a huge organic club.

"Mother! Get Aren out of here!" I shouted as the claw began lifting up again.

"You _cannot_ hunt this beast without my assistance!" she objected loudly.

"And Aren's our only hope for finding the rest of the Hunters!" I shouted back, just as the claw aimed down and buried itself in the earth a safe distance from us. I realized what it was doing.

_It's getting leverage!_

I didn't argue any further. I formed my bow, nocked three arrows and stood ready. "Annabeth, take Aren; I think my mother will want her hands free for this."

She nodded and took the Hunter from the goddess. Artemis' own bow appeared in her hand. Nico drew his dark iron blade and Clarisse stood poised with her spear as the claw tensed and the earth began to tremble beneath us.

The sand bulged as a huge shape began rising. Behind it, a long, snakelike trail under the sand was visible.

With a crash, a second claw erupted from the earth and buried itself into the ground next to the first.

"Here it comes…"

The tail erupted first, arcing impossibly high. The main body of the beast exploded from the earth seconds later, eight spindly legs embedding themselves in the earth as it dragged itself free. That huge, barb-tipped tail the length of a subway train rose up, blocking out the sun.

_Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!_

"What in the name of my father is that?" Nico shouted in disbelief.

"What does it look like, Nico?" I snapped in exasperation.

"Umm…a giant scorpion?"

"_Then it's a giant scorpion, Nico_!" I'd apologize later for being blunt, but when I'm scared, I turn sarcastic.

It hesitated, its pincers snapping like huge scissors. We probably looked like a buffet table to this thing, and we had seconds before it chose which of us it'd like to sample first…and I couldn't help but notice that its beady eyes seemed to be regarding me personally.

_Something wants to kill me…shocker…_

"_Impossible_," I heard my mother breathe. I spared a glance to my side and noticed with a start the look in her eyes—a look of utter disbelief that I hadn't seen since she realized the truth of my birth. It was the look of someone who refused to believe what was right in front of them.

"Apparently not," I said tensely, and suddenly she swung her head around and began scanning the sky, as if desperately searching for something. "What is it?" I asked.

"I can't see the stars…It's still too early…I can't see if it's still there!"

My brow furrowed in bewilderment. I didn't know if the stress was getting to her or something, but… "Mother, what's going on?" I asked, glancing between her and the giant beast.

She took a breath as if struggling to find the strength to speak. "In mortal culture this beast has a name…"

"You've seen this thing before!" Clarisse snapped as the scorpion tensed up to attack.

"Yes! The gods created it, but they didn't give it a name at the time," she said in that same unbelieving tone. "But it shouldn't _be_ here!" she snapped angrily.

We _really _didn't have time for discussion. "_What_ shouldn't be here? What _is _it, mother?" I demanded.

She turned her small head to me and, with just one word, summed up the whole situation.

"Scorpius_._"

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] Wow, over halfway done. See you next time!

To be continued in Chapter 6: Enemies


	6. Chapter 6: Enemies

[A/N] It suddenly occurs to me I never put a disclaimer on this fic… Ah well, if Rick comes a callin' I'll be sure to apologise most heartily…

Perspectives as follows:

-A- Armani's perspective

-3- Third Person

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 6: Enemies**

_Scorpius?_

I dived into a sideways roll as the great insect attempted to impale me with a claw. "You mean the one Orion fought?"

"Yes!" my mother shouted. I noticed she had dismissed her bow.

"The _dead_ Scorpius?" I turned to Nico. "Tell me that's not what I think it is!" I called.

Nico nodded slowly. "Sorry Armani, but you're dead on."

Clarisse glanced between us angrily. "What? What's going on?"

"That _thing_ is a shade. It's living dead."

Clarisse jumped as the scorpion cleaved its claw sideways through the sand in an attempt to send her flying. She jabbed with her spear in midair and the beast retracted the limb in pain. "So what? Then we make it _dead _dead!"

"It's not that simple," my mother began as she drew a pair of hunting knives from her boots. "A shade cannot be destroyed by normal means."

"_Great_! Then how do we kill the damn thing?" the daughter of Ares demanded.

"Decapitation is usually the only way," I said.

Clarisse glanced at the huge beast. "I…am gonna need a bigger spear."

"Get back to the chariot," my mother suddenly said in a low tone. "If this beast is what you say it is—a shade—then the situation has changed and you do not stand a chance. I will hunt it alone." I opened my mouth to object but she shot me a warning glare that immediately made me clam up. "My reindeer will obey you, Armani." The look in her eyes told me that she wasn't asking me nicely.

"Let's move!" I shouted.

"We can't just _run away_!" Clarisse shouted indignantly.

"You can, and you will!" I roared, and grabbed her by the arm of her shirt as I passed, dragging her with me. "Annabeth, let's move!"

"Right!" the blonde called and sprinted after us, the unconscious huntress slung over her shoulder.

I spared a glance over my shoulder at my mother while I ran.

The contrast between the huge beast and the tiny goddess was great, but something told me I was about to find out _exactly_ why she was the Goddess of the Hunt.

The sand seemed to swirl at her feet as she crouched down and catapulted herself fifty feet straight up above the scorpion's head, her hunting blades glinting in the desert sun as she twirled with impossible grace.

She turned about and, as the scorpion looked up at the small soaring form, she brought both blades down and stabbed them into one of the beast's beady eyes.

A mighty squeal went up from the giant insect's mouth.

Undead or not, it had to hurt as my mother tore upwards, wrenching open the thin black membrane with a spray of green ooze that sizzled on the sands below as it hit. The great beast reared back, giving a great insectiod cry as it batted at its own eye.

I shook the reigns of my mother's chariot and, with an ungraceful shudder, it rose into the air. I held it a safe distance away from the combat area.

Scorpius was waving up at what looked like a small glistening insect as my mother leapt from limb to limb, slashing open gaping wounds in various places with terrifying, insane speed.

As I watched the acrobatic display, I realized for the first time just how much my mother was holding back when she first fought me and was under oath to my uncle not to kill me. If it hadn't been for that oath, I now saw that she could've ground me to dust with one hand.

I watched as she leapt backwards, raised her hands and brought them down into a sickening overhead strike on top of the scorpion's head. The blow echoed over the sands with a dull _thunk_.

The scorpion shuddered and collapsed onto its belly. For a second I thought it was over, but then it simply pushed itself up again, shaking off the injuries as if they weren't there. Indeed, they seemed to be healing themselves as I watched. I noticed the gash in its eye suddenly close up.

"She can't kill it," Nico said suddenly as my mother continued to fight the great beast. It was clearly getting frustrated with the mighty little firefly.

"She's doing a pretty bang-up job trying," Clarisse responded with grudging respect.

I observed as my mother dropped down and roundhouse kicked the beast with enough force to send it skidding back through the sands. I'm not sure just how much force she was putting into those blows but I could see the sand below shudder and ripple with each smack. But Nico was right; it didn't even seem to be _phasing_ the monster.

I recalled the image Apollo had shown me of the Midas shade. Zoë Nightshade (at least I think that was her name) had fired off a dozen arrows into his back without so much as injuring him—and he was just a politician. _We_ were dealing with a giant mythological beast.

"Well, the Scorpion won't beat _her,_ either," I said. My reasoning was twofold. Firstly, I doubted goddesses tired easily, and secondly the scorpion was slow and cumbersome, whilst Artemis seemed to move like lightning and probably had more brute strength than even the beast did. If it weren't a shade it would more than likely have been dead already. We could very well be out here until doomsday and she'd _still_ be hacking and slashing away at what would by then be an _extremely_ irate bug.

I had realized earlier what was happening, though; the scorpion wasn't trying to _fight_ my mother, it was trying to get _past_ her. Suddenly, Hades' words came back to me. He had said he could give a shade an objective it would follow above all else.

_It's after me._

"I've got an idea," Nico suddenly said, his eyes locked on my mother as she continued her deadly dance. "Get us in closer."

"Are you insane?" Annabeth snapped. "If we get in range of that thing-" Nico interrupted before she could finish.

Nico turned to me, "Armani…_please_, I'm asking you trust me, just this once." I locked eyes with him for a moment and made my choice.

"All right." I shook the reigns and directed the reindeer as best I could.

"We're going to _die,_" Annabeth moaned as we closed in on the scorpion.

I sighed. "Well, no one lives forever."

"Says the immortal Hunter," she muttered back.

"Then I suppose I have more to lose."

"Get us above it, above the head!" Nico said and I—somewhat ungracefully—managed to get the chariot to swerve up and around the beast until we were right above its head. When I turned back from piloting my eyes nearly popped out my head as I saw what Nico was up to.

"Nico! What in _Hades_ do you think you're doing?" I demanded as I saw the half-blood climb onto the side of the chariot.

He paused as his dark eyes met mine, a small, sad smile on his face. "Making amends."

He jumped.

"NICO!" Annabeth shouted, but it was far too late to catch him. He was already flying down towards the head of the beast.

I saw my mother glance up as Nico drew his dark blade in midair. He raised the sword above his head, and used the momentum to drive it through the beast's exoskeleton and right into its head, up to the hilt.

In that instant the entire creature froze dead. Its roar died in its throat (or whatever it had that equated to a throat). The entire desert was suddenly enveloped in this eerie quiet.

Suddenly something odd happened. As I watched, the creatures yellow skin seemed to gain color. It had been a dull yellow; now it was suddenly a rich, shiny gold.

Then, as if just noticing it had been stabbed, the beast began violently thrashing and shaking in something akin to a panic.

I watched as Nico held on for dear life, the scorpion stabbing violently down with its tail at its own head. Artemis leapt up into the air and axe kicked the stinger back up an instant before it could skewer the demigod.

Suddenly the creature slowed its shaking and slumped down onto its chest.

I noticed then it seemed to begin trailing off sparkling blue dust that fled into the sky in all directions. It was one of the most eerily beautiful sights I had ever seen as the great Scorpius shade turned first to grey, and then evaporated into brilliant, sparkling stardust.

As it faded, my mother grabbed hold of Nico as the ground under him disappeared. The chariot suddenly lurched forward as if on autopilot and swung by the fading beast's head. The goddess leapt off with the half-blood under her arm and landed safely in the carriage beside us.

I turned control over to my mother after offering her a steadying arm, which she kindly declined. Nico, however, needed slightly more assistance, as he screamed in agony when Clarisse patted him on the back in congratulations.

"W-What?" The Ares girl gasped.

I immediately recognized the slumped posture. After falling off of a motorcycle several times, I knew it well. "He's dislocated his shoulder," I sighed. I whispered something to Annabeth and she gripped his good side firmly.

"You did great, Nico," she began, then pointed suddenly into the distance. "Look, Nico, a unicorn!"

In the second he turned to look, I grasped his limp arm and thrust it back into the socket.

I'm glad I don't wear glasses, as they would've shattered at the high pitched squeal that tore from his throat. It was so bad even my mother seemed to be trying the clear the ringing out of her ears.

"Damn it, Armani!" he shouted with tears in his eyes. "What in Tartarus did you do that for?"

I shrugged. "It's the best way to put a dislocated shoulder back in. How do you normally do it?"

He raised his eyebrows desperately. "It's never _happened_ to me before!"

"Wow," Clarisse began. "Happens to me at least once a month."

"Yeah? Well, sue me for being a careful half-blood!"

"How would you suggest we get your shoulder back in, then?"

"We have ambrosia," my mother said, not turning around as she steered us on.

Clarisse and I glanced at each other. "Oh…yeah… Never thought of that, but then it's always worst the first time around."

Clarisse nodded. Obviously we were both feeling as stupid as the other. "Yeah, helps build character. You won't always have ambrosia around, Nico."

Nico just grumbled. Tears of pain fell from his eyes; his shoulder would be throbbing for a couple of days. "I still can't believe you did that!"

"I cannot believe you actually thought there was a unicorn," my mother interjected.

Nico didn't argue; it was, after all, a very good point.

"But what happened?" Clarisse asked, bringing us back to more important matters.

Nico raised his black sword with his uninjured arm. "Stygian iron; capable of controlling the dead and also of expelling them. You saw how the scorpion's color turned bright at the end?"

We all nodded and paid attention; this was, after all, Nico's area of expertise. "Well, I learned from my dad that a shade is imbued with a small amount of life. Before it disappears, it's sort of _alive_ for those few seconds, as long as the stygian iron is embedded in it."

I paused to get my head around it. "So, you're saying that when you stabbed it with that sword, you effectively made it _live_ to death?"

Nico nodded. "I guessed that if stabbing something living with Stygian iron could effectively link it with the Underworld and cause it to wither and die, then the opposite would happen to a shade."

I smiled as I got it. "You mean _sever_ its connection to the Underworld?"

He nodded. "It then reverted to its natural life force for the little time it had left."

I suddenly realized why Scorpius had reacted the way he had when his color came back. "That's why the scorpion went berserk?"

The half-blood inclined his head. "It was effectively alive for a few seconds."

Clarisse smirked. "Alive and with a sword embedded in your head, how would you react?"

Suddenly something else occurred to me. "But Nico, that was _brilliant_!"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, even I wouldn't have thought of something like that. How did you know it would work?"

He fell silent for a moment. "I didn't. I just had to hope it would."

"It was foolish," Artemis suddenly spoke up.

Nico's eyes fell. "Yes, Lady Artemis…"

"You could have killed yourself!" she scolded, still not looking back.

"I know, Lady Artemis..."

I couldn't help but notice how formal he had become with her.

"Still…it was…an _impressive_ deduction, given the circumstances…as foolish, impulsive and typically male as your actions were."

_Was there a compliment hidden somewhere in there? I suppose I'll just leave them to mend their own bridges._

"Yup," Clarisse began, batting him on the shoulder. "Gutsy of you, kid. We'll make a warrior out of you yet!"

I left Nico to bask in his sheepishness as I stood up by my mother. There were more important matters at hand for now. "We need to get Aren somewhere shaded."

She nodded and Annabeth stood up. "Lady Artemis? Do the Hunters have somewhere in Vegas to stop?"

Nico laughed. "Do you have like your own penthouse suite reserved or something?"

The goddess tensed, and I knew why. The thought of it made me shudder, too. "We are _not_ going into Vegas," I said tensely. I could joke about the place, sure, but quite frankly the mere thought of it made me nauseous.

"Huh?" Clarisse asked. "Why?"

I answered for my mother. "I don't want to sound snobby or anything, so will you bear with me?" The daughter of Ares inclined her head. "All right…the mere thought of going into that place, surrounded by all that mindless debauchery and all that seething lust and greed quite honestly makes me feel sick."

My mother nodded approvingly. "I will not grace that place with my presence, and nor will I condone either my child or my Hunter to be in such an appalling environment."

I saw Clarisse about to object, but I just shook my head and she went silent. "Mother, let's see if we can find us a Motel Seven or something on the outskirts."

She inclined her head. "That will be sufficient."

Annabeth nodded. "Okay, just promise me you won't tell Thalia when we find her." I noticed she said 'when'. I guess our victory had inspired some optimism.

I smiled. "Why's that?"

Her eyebrows rose in mock horror. "Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what Thalia would do to me if she found out I let the Goddess of the Hunt stay at a _Motel Seven_?"

I forced a laugh as I bent down to examine the unconscious huntress. The humor died instantly. Now that our adrenaline rush had worn off, her condition seemed even worse.

"Armani?" Annabeth asked.

"She should be fine. If it weren't for the fact we have nectar and ambrosia with us right now, I'd be rushing her to a mortal hospital for emergency treatment," I said. I poured a small amount of the liquid into her mouth and held it until she instinctively swallowed.

"We need to get her somewhere cool and bring her around with some more nectar, and then she just needs a lot of fluids. We can't rehydrate someone with nectar alone. As you know, an overdose will have quite the opposite effect."

"Aren will survive," Artemis suddenly said. "She has served me well these past centuries, and I assure you she will not die from something like this." The faith she had in the huntress reassured me.

"There…", my mother said, and I straightened up to see where we were heading.

There was a motel ahead of the most clichéd caliber: Peeling paint; a large, broken, neon 'Color TV' sign; murky swimming pool; the works…

"Perfect," I said, a small smile on my lips.

-A-

My mother landed in the parking lot. When I looked back, I found I had to focus to see her chariot through the Mist. Otherwise I saw exactly what it would look like to mortals: a silver minibus with the words _**Girl Scouts of America**_ emblazoned on the side.

We strolled into the foyer, Aren resting on Clarisse's back. I walked up to the desk and hit the bell—which, just to complete the run-down hotel cliché, was one of those old brass ones.

The whole establishment had a seedy look to it, like one of those places that the owner thought would probably look like a Hawaiian paradise twenty years ago and now just looked like…well, I try not to use that kind of language. It was all blue paint, tropical fish tanks and fake palm tree stickers.

An equally clichéd man in a bowler hat and white waistcoat over a stained vest trudged up to the counter, a cigar between his teeth under a bushy mustache. "_Yeah?_" he asked, not looking up from the newspaper in his hands.

I suddenly sensed a seething anger from my left and I didn't need to look to know that my mother's anger was starting to skyrocket. I got the feeling if he even dared to _look _at her, she'd turn him into some kind of slimy rodent.

She was ironic that way.

I sidestepped, obscuring the view just in case. "Excuse me, sir? We'd like a room for the day."

He glanced up and frowned angrily. "The _day_?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, we'd like to spend the night."

"Got a reservation? We got a wedding coming through tomorrow, fully booked," he grunted.

I felt something large and murderous building behind me, and if it weren't for my compassion for living things I'd have gotten out of the way and let my mother have her way with the guy. "No…but I'm sure we can come to some kind of…_arrangement._" His ear seemed to twitch at the word and he glanced up at me from his paper.

"_Yeah_? What you got in mind?"

Annabeth stepped forwards, her hand moving to her bag. "Here, let me handle this one, my father—" I cut her off with a wave of my hand and laughed.

"No, no, no. _Apollo's_ got this one," I said as I withdrew a shiny platinum card with a large golden sun plastered on it from my back pocket. I sensed my mother's rage lower slightly and become tinged with faint amusement.

The man squinted at the card; the Mist would show him whatever logo he wanted to see, and would transfer the necessary funds requested. Mortal currency was nothing to gods, after all. "Solar Club... Platinum Amex?" he read off.

I smiled slightly. "I have a Discover Card if you'd prefer me to—" but he cut me off sharper than he could have if he'd had a sword.

"NO! No...Now, what kind of arrangement are we talking about?" he said, plastering a yellow smile on his face.

I shrugged my shoulders. "How's five grand for the night sound?" It didn't matter to me, I could've said a hundred bajillion if I cared, although I suspected the sudden transferring of all the world's money into a small motel owner's bank account might have been questioned. It would be Apollo who'd suffer the consequences from Zeus, and I really didn't want to do that to him, as much as he frustrated me.

The hotel owner nearly choked on his cigar. "Y-you serious? F-five _thousand_?" He frowned guardedly. "Why here then? Why ain't you in the Ritz or something?"

"I'm an insanely rich young billionaire with a gambling problem, need I say more?"

He nodded quickly. I could have said "I'm a young Irish master criminal and these are my fairy friends" and I suspect he'd still be nodding with that stupid smile on his face. "Of course, of course, horrible place, Vegas. You're much better here, young sir."

"I'm _glad _you're so sympathetic of my problem."

"Oh, yes…but…payment in advance, of course," he said, waving his hands towards himself.

_Mortal greed, how splendidly predictable..._

I smiled. "Of course," I said and duly allowed him to swipe the plastic and confirm the credit on the card. A second later his eyes lit up like a boy who'd just got that new game console for Christmas. "Welcome to Hotel Paradiso! May I help you with your bags?" he said as he reached for Clarisse's shoulder, where Aren rested, surrounded in the Mist and disguised as a rucksack.

A sharp wave of revulsion came over me that I couldn't control as the man's yellowed, greasy hand reached towards the prone Hunter.

I suddenly realized that the girl would never forgive me if she ever found out I allowed someone like him to lay a hand on her person. My own hand snapped up and grabbed his wrist in a painfully tight vice grip. "That will _not_ be necessary. My room key, please." He nodded mutely and fumbled for a key from the rack with his free hand. He tossed it at me and I snatched it deftly out of the air. "_Thank you,_" I said tersely, and the man nodded mutely in fear as we turned and filed out the foyer.

-A-

As we entered the twin room I had Clarisse hand Aren to my mother.

"Go find fluids, as much as you can—food, too. She needs sustenance. Use the vending machines outside."

The others nodded, but then Nico patted down his pockets. "Umm… You got any change?"

I glanced at Clarisse. "It's only glass and plastic," I shrugged.

She smirked playfully. "Reading you on FM, Armani."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'll go get some ice. Nico, come help."

I nodded. "We'll get Aren comfortable." And on that they dispersed to complete their assigned tasks.

And again I was left alone with my god-mother.

"Thank you for respecting her dignity," I heard her say as we laid the small girl down on the bed.

"We've had our differences, but there are times when they just don't matter anymore. You won't believe it, but she actually tried to be _nice_ to me…"

"She may be strong-willed and stubborn in her beliefs, but neither is she shallow enough to refuse to admit when she's wrong."

As I stared down at the unconscious girl, I realized there was something I had to say. "I'm sorry."

My mother went silent for a second in confusion. "Whatever for?"

"I broke my word to her," I said solemnly, staring down at the petit huntress. "I swore that I'd protect your honor. When Nico said those things to you…" I gave a short, humorless laugh. "If your Hunters had been there, they'd have strung him up before he'd even finished a sentence. But I just stood there. I'm so sorry, mother."

"I am touched by the concerns of both you and my Hunters, Armani, I truly am. But I do not need others to fight my battles for me."

"But still—"

"-Do you consider Nico di Angelo a friend?" she interrupted suddenly, still staring down at Aren.

I paused. "Yes, I suppose when it comes down to it I do."

She nodded. "I personally chose Bianca di Angelo to join the Hunters. And I love all of my Hunters, even if they are only with me for the briefest of times. He still grieves for her, and that I can respect. His words simply cursed fate for taking away someone he loved…someone whom I loved as well. I also wished to show something to you."

I frowned. "To me?"

She nodded. "I wished to prove to you that I was not as ruled by my ego as many of the other gods…and also that I am not as…_inflexible_ as they can be…as they usually are."

I blinked_._ "Is _that_ why you apologized to him?"

She paused in thought. "It was one of the reasons."

_So the only reason she didn't go divine on him was...but that begs a question._

I raised a finger. "Might I ask you something?"

She gave a small smile. "Of course, Armani."

"_Hypothetically_…what exactly would you have done if he had said all those things and I _wasn't_ there? Just supposedly."

She pursed her lips in thought. "I would still have allowed him to live, as the source of his grief was the death of a Hunter, but…"

_Here it comes…_

Suddenly she quirked an eyebrow up. "Do you like jackalopes?" she asked.

I frowned. "Not especially."

She inclined her head in response. "Then you would not have _especially_ liked what I was planning to do to him."

I gulped. It was so easy to forget exactly what she was when we talked so calmly like this, but then she would remind me.

I fell silent, and it was Artemis who broke the silence. "You did not dishonor me."

"Mother?"

She was looking oddly shy for a goddess. "You were there afterwards, when I needed you. For that I thank you."

I did not wish to embarrass her further, so I simply smiled. "Whenever you need me."

We both turned to Aren as she gasped and tossed slightly. Her clothes were damp with sweat and her face was rosy red. I scowled. "Strange, the symptoms resemble sun stroke. Whatever incapacitated her must've had the side effect of badly dehydrating her to get to this point so quickly," I said as I tilted her small head back to give her some more nectar. She settled down a moment later.

I stood up. "When Annabeth and Clarisse come back, make sure she gets plenty of fluids. I'd rather not risk raising her body temperature with more nectar."

"Where are you going?"

I shuffled nervously. "She can't remain in those sweat-soaked clothes. I have a spare set similar to my own in my bag; I'm sure you can do something _mystical_ to make them fit."

She nodded. "Will she require any more assistance?"

I shook my head. She was obviously oblivious to medicine. I guessed amongst the Hunters she wasn't the healer. "Just what I said. Unless you'd prefer _I_ changed her clothes?" It wasn't a question.

She raised a single auburn eyebrow. "I believe such a thing would distress her somewhat."

I nodded. "Nico and I will be waiting outside."

-A-

I sat outside with Nico as the girls (and goddess) took care of Aren, who was making a startlingly fast recovery. I guess I could thank my mother's power for that.

I could tell Nico was still upset. He seemed the sort to dwell on guilt, but I'd be lying if I simply said all of this wasn't his fault. I supposed it was one of those situations where only he could forgive himself.

I sighed. The silence was uncomfortable. Nico stood up and began pacing. "You think she's doing okay?"

It was the seventeenth time (I'd been counting) that he'd asked this, or a variation of it, in the past half hour. I inclined my head. "I wouldn't worry. I checked in on her a while ago, and she's accepting fluids fine now. Given her constitution she should be up and about soon."

He rubbed his brow. "Speaking of fluids, you want anything? I'm gonna go get something from what's left of the vending machine."

I waved the offer off; I'd had enough ill-gotten beverages to keep me going for the day…

**-3-**

Nico bent down to pick up a pair of cokes from the wreckage of the machine. Clarisse had taken pleasure in smashing it to bits. His dark eyes widened in shock as he was suddenly filled with the insane urge to hit someone, to smash something up and pound a guy into the dirt.

"Nico, ain't it?"

The demigod leaped to his feet and spun around. Casually leaning against a support post was a tall man in torn jeans, a leather waistcoat and a Stars and Stripes bandanna. He smirked from behind a pair of black sunglasses.

Nico's hand was drawn to the hilt of his sword. "Who's asking?" he asked in as intimidating a voice as he could muster.

"You mean you don't know?" the man asked. He lowered his glasses and let Nico see the flames where his eyes should have been. The demigod tore his sword free on reflex.

"Ares," he breathed.

He raised a hand. "Hey, chill. I'm only here to make sure you stay out of the way. See, to be honest, you kind of creep my lady friend out a bit."

"What? What are you talking about?"

The war god sighed drearily. "I really don't want to be here, but she _insisted_ I tag along to keep you kids out of her hair while she does her thing."

Nico frowned. "_Her _who? What _thing_?"

He just smirked. "Nothing you need to worry about, li'l Hades boy, she just wants to have a nice chat with your friend through there."

Nico's eyes widened. "Armani?"

"That his name? Wasn't really paying attention back at Olympus."

Nico tightened his grip on the Stygian blade. "Get out of my way, Ares!"

The god's eyebrows rose from behind his sunglasses. "Or _what_?" he said, drawing a sawn-off shotgun from inside his jacked which. As he gripped the stock, it transformed into a huge, flaming, two handed bronze broadsword. "Trust me, kid, this'll only take a moment, so why don't you just relax and I'll be out your hair in a sec. But if you insist, I'd be delighted to gut you like a trout."

Nico hesitated. It was one thing to summon the undead to fight other half-bloods or beasts, but would it be enough to stop the god of war? "What about Artemis? She won't just stand by while something happens to Armani!"

Ares scoffed. "She's never managed to stop her before when she goes after one of the Hunters. This won't be any different. I just gotta make sure you kids don't get in her way."

"What's in it for you, Ares?"

His grin widened. "She promised to make it 'worth my while', and when Aphrodite promises that, trust me, kid, you're in for a world of fun."

"Aphrodite!"

-A-

I was running a whetstone over my blade when a strange scent filled the air, sweet and sickly, like something trying to imitate every nice smell I knew and failing horribly. I frowned and glanced up.

I bolted to my feet in shock and immediately took on a defensive stance.

A familiar woman wearing a revealing black cocktail dress was standing not ten feet away. She was frowning to herself. "I _still_ can't do those damned nature smells!" she muttered angrily. "Why can't you Hunters just like _normal_ things?"

_Aphrodite…_

I gritted my teeth. "I guess you just can't do _pure,_ then, can you?"

She pouted. "Oh, now don't be like that Armani. It _was_ Armani, wasn't it?" she asked in an all-too-friendly manner.

"What happened to '_abomination'_?"

She giggled. "Oh, come now, that was just business. I'd much rather we talk as friends, Armani."

"You know," I said drily, "I have a sneaking suspicion you're not being entirely sincere."

She put a pitying look on her face. "Oh, you poor boy, so cold and lonely inside," she said as she approached slowly and cupped my cheek. I flinched back as if electrocuted.

"I-I'm fine, thank you, Lady Aphrodite," I said as I turned to walk away.

"I mean you no harm. I cannot act against you outside of my jurisdiction. Or do you not believe me?"

I paused. "Let's just say I've heard some pretty nasty tales."

Aphrodite scoffed. "Pah! You've just been prejudiced by Artemis. It's all in perspective."

"Didn't you once make one of my mother's followers fall in love with a bear?"

She waved it off. "It was in retaliation for an insult, perfectly justified."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, and Apollo told me what you did to Oedipus."

She raised a finger. "Ah! Now to be fair, that was Eros' fault. The fool was drunk and missed with his arrow. And boy, I _still_ haven't lived that one down"

I sighed. "Just what do you want with me, Aphrodite?"

She gave a smile that she _probably_ meant to be kind, but it utterly terrified me. "I just came here to give you a gift…a very important gift."

I narrowed my eyes and continued turning away. "Not interested… Sorry you wasted your trip." I abruptly ran square into her bosom. She had materialized right in front of me.

I would've staggered back had her hand not found the small of my back and yanked me right up to her chest. Her other hand came up and brushed a bang out of my face, tracing my jawline with a manicured fingertip.

Her breath smelled like roses and I froze in absolute terror. "Now, now, didn't you know it's rude to refuse the token of a lady's affection?" she whispered.

Then she kissed me.

The effect was so devastating to me I can only describe it as though my very soul had been struck by lightning.

She released me with a warm smile on her face. "Oh, so sweet, was that your first?"

I grasped a hand over my chest as a surge of heat flooded through my body. There was a red haze of light over my skin, muting the silver sheen I had become accustomed to. I gasped in shock and stared at her. My entire body was shaking, and suddenly I began to notice new things about her; the brilliant eyes, wonderful smile, the swell of her bosom, her shapely-

_NO! _

My instincts went crazy and I dropped to my knees, alien feelings surging through my body…I didn't understand them…I didn't _want_ to…

_Wrong!_

"Oh, now, don't _fight,_ little one…"

_Alien!_

I gasped…she was so… beauti-

_Stop!_

I collapsed face forward into the earth and managed to look up as she frowned down at me. "I _said,_ don't fight! Those feelings are the most natural things in the world!"

_What…something's…what's happening?_

The song…it was blurred. I couldn't feel the nature around me. It was hidden behind a cloud of hazy lust and surging hormones…but there was something worse. Something was _dying_ inside.

_NoNoNoNoNo!_

Something deeper, something I couldn't place, below the nature, at the core of my being, was melting away. A well of sorrow and despair was opening up.

I felt like a fragment of my soul was being torn away, a part I didn't even know about.

_Someone help…please…anyone…_

I was aware of her scowling. "Listen, I can make you fall in love with whoever or _what_ever I see fit. I would rather you choose naturally and be happy!"

_Gods, someone help me…_

Something at my core was dying…

Her face turned enraged. "Why are you resisting love? I'm just showing you what it's like to _feel_!"

I rolled onto my side, grasping at my chest as I felt my soul burn; there were desperate tears in my eyes.

_Somebody…Nico, Annabeth, Clarisse…_

_**MOTHER!**_

**-3-**

Aren stirred, her brow clenching as she strained to open her eyes. Her face lit up happily as she saw Artemis looking down at her. "Lady…Artemis?"

The goddess nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Welcome back, Aren."

Aren's eyes widened. "What happened?" she gasped, trying to bolt upright. The goddess placed a small hand on her chest, and, gently but firmly, pushed her back down.

"Rest, dear one. You may tell your tale when you have recovered your strength. Do this for me, please"

The blonde girl smiled tiredly and nodded. Artemis turned to Annabeth and motioned for her to approach.

"Here, Aren, you'd best drink this," she said as she helped her drink down a bottle of water, mixed with a very small amount of nectar. "Just in small doses, Aren, be careful. We don't want you to get sick."

She drank the concoction gratefully. "W-where am I?"

"A motel outside Vegas," Annabeth said. "We're on a quest to rescue you and the other Hunters."

Aren's eyes widened. The nectar was taking effect quickly as Annabeth handed her another beverage. "You came on a quest, Lady Artemis?"

She nodded. "I would have come for you had the quest demanded I not. Are you strong enough to speak, Aren? Can you remember anything?"

She gulped down a mouthful of water. "I was hunting… I had separated from the others to find supper. I was about to take down a deer when…"she paused for a moment, struggling to remember. "… I was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of strange-smelling smoke. And then...I woke up here."

"Some kind of gas?" Clarisse asked.

Annabeth nodded. "It would seem that way."

Aren shook her head. "But I heard no one coming. Whoever it was must've sneaked up on me with such stealth and silence it defies belief. I swear I didn't-"

Artemis squeezed her hand. "We cast no aspersions on your skills, child. Your sisters have also been captured."

"The others have?" she gasped in shock.

Artemis nodded. "Yes, Aren, but I believe them to still be alive somewhere, else the prophecy and this quest would not have come about. Do you think yourself strong enough to join us on our journey?"

The girl nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Lady Artemis."

The goddess smiled. "I am proud-" her eyes widened in shock and she trailed off into silence.

"Lady Artemis?" Aren asked.

Suddenly the goddess' entire body rippled, the force sending her skidding backwards on her feet and onto her knees. Her hands grasped her lower abdomen as if someone had just violently punched her as she collapsed with a shout of pain.

"Lady Artemis!" Aren cried, ignoring her weakness and bolting onto her feet.

The goddess was gasping in pain, her eyes wide as if seeing something somewhere else. "Something's… Something's wrong…" another ripple of energy and she clutched her chest again. "_No!_ It can't be!"

Aren moved to help her goddess but was restrained by Annabeth as another pulse of energy wracked her body.

Her breaths were turning from panicked to enraged with each exhale as she pushed herself to her feet. "_NO,_" she said in a guttural growl.

With each breath, her outline was starting to glow with silver light which seemed to burst into a flame as she stood to full height. Her eyes burned into the door as the silver fire licked along her body.

"Lady Artemis?" Aren almost choked in shock.

"_No__…_" The goddess repeated, her teeth bared in a snarl as she extended her will at the door in front of her.

-3-

Aphrodite's attention was disrupted as one of the doors to the upper level rooms exploded off its hinges and flew across the courtyard. A silver streak shot out of the darkness and skidded to a halt next to the collapsed half-blood.

Artemis grabbed hold of Armani's face and stared into his dulled silver eyes. "No…" she breathed. She didn't turn towards the love goddess as she spoke. "Let him go, Aphrodite!"

The goddess of love merely scoffed. "And why should I? I'm well within my domain here. I'm the goddess of love and he's a being who didn't _know _any. It was my place to help. Oh, and I _love_ the glowing thing. Normally when I do this all you do is just stand there and shout. So why don't you get it all out of your system so you can go crying back to daddy?"

She didn't turn away from Armani. "I'm warning you Aphrodite… Let. Him. _GO_," she said, her tone low and warning. There seemed to be a different animal's growl laced into each of her breaths. Her aura flared into an inferno around her as she crouched down.

"I'm saying _no_. How about you, Ares?" she asked tauntingly.

"Hmm, I don't care one way or the other, I was just wondering what the bang was," the war god said as he strolled into the courtyard, Nico shadowing him cautiously.

"Oh, just poor little Arty venting," she said. The goddess in question stayed crouched down, oddly silent now.

Ares shook his head and strolled towards the crouching goddess. "Now, now, Artemis, why don't you just let Aphrodite do her thing and-"

Artemis' head snapped towards the war god, her eyes nothing put pools of blazing silver light.

Ares froze dead. Artemis let out a roar that sounded suspiciously like a cougar and slashed out at the air towards him. A stream of silver light erupted from her aura and struck Ares head-on, slamming him straight through the rooms opposite.

The stream of light tore upwards through the roof, collapsing the structure down on top of the god of war.

Artemis stood, still half crouched as she turned towards Aphrodite, poised like a predator ready to strike. That stream began to retract, but stopped and hung in the air, trailing behind her right shoulder. A second emerged and rose up into the air on her left, like a pair of glowing, ethereal tails.

The look of smug satisfaction had melted off the face of the goddess of love. "A-Artemis? Come on now…you know the rules…" she tried to sound confident, but failed badly as she stared into the goddess' furious eyes.

"Ten…"

-3-

"Lady Artemis!" Aren shouted, and made to leap over the barrier into the courtyard. It took both Clarisse and Annabeth to hold her back. Weakened or not, a determined Hunter was a force to be reckoned with. "Let me _go_! Lady Artemis might need my help!"

Clarisse dug her heels in. "Does she _look_ like she needs any help right now? She just _floored_ my father without even _touching_ him!"

Tears were welling up in her eyes. "But she's in pain!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" A smooth voice from the side suddenly spoke up. Everyone turned to find a familiar blond-haired woman with a clipboard, taking notes as she watched the proceedings.

Annabeth gasped. "Mom!"

"Hello, dear. How's the quest going?" she asked conversationally.

"Lady Athena!" Aren said desperately. "Please, what's wrong with Lady Artemis?"

"Mother, _what_ is going on?"

A small smile twitched on the corner of the wisdom goddess' mouth. "_This_, my dear, is what I've been waiting for."

In that second, Artemis opened her mouth and said the one thing that showed just how much trouble the goddess of love had gotten herself into.

"…_Zero._"

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] Hope you're having fun thus far and I'll catch you all in Chapter 7: Primal


	7. Chapter 7: Primal

[A/N] And thusly the remastered version continues, so let's keep right on going…

Perspective rules are as follows:

-A- Armani's perspective

-3- Third Person

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 7: Primal**

**-**3-

"A-Ares?" Aphrodite stammered as Artemis stood, half crouched, growling angrily at the love goddess.

A mound of rubble exploded as the war god pulled himself free and began striding cautiously across the courtyard.

"Do you know how she was born?" Artemis suddenly asked Ares in a low tone, not turning about.

Ares froze. "What?"

"Aphrodite. You know how she was born, don't you?"

He frowned. "Yeah. From sea foam and Uranus'…you know…_severed bits._"

Artemis cocked her head, teeth still bared. "_Very good. _Now, unless you want to find yourself siring all your future half-bloods in the same fashion, I would suggest you don't take another step closer."

It took a moment for Ares to grasp the threat. He slowly took a step backwards, which was the smartest thing he'd done all day.

-3-

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked.

Athena inclined her head. "I believe Artemis just threatened to castrate Ares if he attempts to get involved."

"Annabeth!" Nico shouted as he ran up to the group, skidding to a stop beside her. His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the goddess.

"Ah, Mister Di Angelo, I was wondering when you'd chose to join us," Athena said, still focused on her clipboard.

"Is that-?" Nico asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Nico, this is my mother."

"Shh, children, let's watch the proceedings."

"Mom, do you know what's going on? Do you know what's happening to Artemis?"

She inclined her head. "Of course I do, dear, now let's see what happens."

-3-

Artemis spared Armani a pained glance, and then turned back to Aphrodite. "You wouldn't dare," the love goddess said in what was little more than a whimper.

The twelve-year-old goddess snarled and smashed her palms into the ground. The two streams of light trailing from her aura shot out to the left and right. Aphrodite didn't have time to blink before they slammed into her from both sides like a huge glowing vice, lifting her up into the air between them.

Artemis pushed herself up and began closing her hands together. As her palms closed, the huge tails tightened around the love goddess, whose mouth was open in a soundless scream as the energy pulsed around her. The sound of straining bones filled the air.

-3-

"What are those things? And what's up with that light?" Nico breathed in shock, staring at the glowing tail-like appendages.

Athena was busy sketching Artemis on her clipboard, but paused to answer. "They're a manifestation."

"Of _what_?" Aren asked desperately. Everything in her was telling her she should be doing more than watching.

"What do you know about Artemis? Or, should I say, what do you know about _Armani_ and Artemis?"

"Mother and son?" Nico offered.

She nodded. "Precisely; the goddess of childbirth and her eternal child. You see, I saw something when I looked into his mind back at Olympus. There was something in him that I don't believe even _he_ knew about, and I doubt Artemis knew either."

Annabeth frowned. "Something _in_ him?"

"That's right. There's a bond between the two of them. Artemis is the goddess of childbirth; she is the source of the maternal bond between mother and child that exists within nature. And now she has her own bond, only it's more than the metaphorical one that normally exists between parent and child. Because she is a goddess, hers is meta_physical._"

Nico's face screwed up into a frown. "Meta-_what_?"

Annabeth sighed. "It means it's sort of…mystical."

Athena rolled her eyes. "_Mystical?_ Oh, save me…anyway, the bond was most likely created when Artemis completed Armani's birth and acknowledged his existence. From there on in it became an almost physical thing. And when Aphrodite invaded his mind, she flooded his heart with lust, trying to force him to forget everything that's important to him besides the feelings _she_ was creating."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "She attacked the bond…"

Athena smiled. "Very astute, Annabeth. Yes, when Aphrodite used her power, not only did she infect him with feelings that were so alien to him that they were painful, she also began to dissolve the bond that existed between him and Artemis. That _light_, Mister Di Angelo, is the manifestation of that bond lashing out to defend itself, using Artemis as a medium." The wisdom goddess laughed ironically. "You see, Aphrodite, in her arrogance, has inadvertently stumbled into the domain of the power that governs the creation of life itself…and it's fighting back to force her out."

Nico just stared at the enraged goddess. "But why's she so… _growly_? I mean, Artemis is usually so, like, composed and cool."

Athena's smile quirked up slightly. "You mean her feral attitude? Well, Artemis is also the goddess of the wild, and there is nothing more ancient, primal and _wild_ than the instinct that drives a mother to defend her child. At the moment she's transcended anger, she's beyond rage; she's in a domain of pure instinct. And she will destroy anyone and anything that gets in her path. The Goddess of the Wild…has gone wild."

Clarisse spoke up next. "I'm not exactly following any of this, but are you saying Artemis has gone all mama bear on Aphrodite?"

Athena sighed. "That would be a gross oversimplification, but I suppose it's the general idea."

"You said this was what you were waiting for; you mean you knew this was going to happen?" Annabeth asked.

Athena nodded. "It was inevitable. Aphrodite was bound to attempt to subvert Armani sooner or later, and it was only Aphrodite who could provoke this reaction. This was an aspect of Artemis that could only awaken once she had a child of her own; it was an aspect that, because of her vow to remain a maiden, should _never_ have awoken. We're looking at an impossible thing; the force of creation itself. I doubt even Zeus himself would dare step in her path while she's in her current form."

"But Armani's life has been in danger before, why has this not happened until now?" Aren had to ask, having barely overcome her shock over her Mistress' appearance.

"That's different. It's part of nature for life to be endangered. Aphrodite's attack was different; she attacked both Armani _and_ Artemis on a very fundamental level. She triggered this reaction herself."

"Why doesn't Aphrodite fight back?" Annabeth asked.

"She's probably trying, but love isn't that old of a force. What we're looking at here is old and ancient, something Aphrodite couldn't understand…which is why she inadvertently stumbled into Artemis' domain after centuries of successfully taunting her while Artemis could do nothing in return. _Now_, reactions?" she asked, turning to the group, pen poised on her clipboard.

"What?" Annabeth asked with a frown.

"Come now, dear, this is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon even for an immortal! I must get witness notes and impressions. Ms. Aren?"

Aren just stared at the feral Artemis. "She's _terrifying_, but still so…_beautiful_ and dazzling"

Athena nodded. "Interesting reactions from the Huntress. Nico?"

Nico gulped. "Sorry, I'm stuck on terrifying. But what's up with Armani? Shouldn't he just be all love-struck or something?"

Athena looked almost solemn for a second. "You don't understand. Armani is a child of Artemis, the goddess whose very existence is based around the pure and the innocent. Armani shares these traits, which is why he's almost equally clueless about love. Aphrodite violated his mind and forced him to experience feelings he simply doesn't understand. And the bond within him is equally important as a child of the goddess of childbirth. It's not just his mind Aphrodite violated, she actually attacked his soul."

"Will he be all right?"

"Perhaps, it all depends on Artemis. But I digress—what are your thoughts, Annabeth?"

Annabeth had just opened her mouth to respond when Artemis suddenly whipped the prone Aphrodite up into the air and smashed her in the chest with one of the streams. She repeated the motion until she was battering the love goddess with lightning-fast strikes while Aphrodite struggled weakly in midair. Artemis herself hadn't budged; she just stood with blazing silver eyes as her aura decimated her opponent for her.

Her right tail curved up and smashed the goddess into the asphalt below.

"M-mother? What's going to happen? I mean, Artemis can't actually _kill_ Aphrodite, can she?"

Athena inclined her head. "Whereas it is impossible for an Olympian to truly be _killed,_ as that would mean the absolute destruction of the part of the natural order they represent, they _can _have their personal freedoms and personified forms permanently damaged. Just look at what happened to Kronos when he was dissected by his own scythe, or what happened to Hephaestus when Hera threw him from Olympus."

One of the glowing tendrils bent down and plucked up the goddess by the throat. Her dress was torn and she was dripping golden blood. Tears were running down her face, but due to the pressure around her neck she couldn't so much as choke out a sob.

"-thena!" she managed to choke out as Artemis lowered the pressure a tad. "Athena!" she shouted more clearly.

"Hmm?" Athena glanced up from her clipboard and leaned over the rail. "Problem, Aphrodite?"

"Don't be pedantic!" she snapped, "You can't let her do this to- acck!" she was cut off as Artemis extended her fist and closed it. The light around Aphrodite's throat tightened. "-elp me!" was all she got out before the other tail slammed into her abdomen and enveloped it tightly.

Artemis glanced suddenly up at the battle goddess, and a third tendril rose up from her back, hanging warningly in the air.

Athena gingerly stepped back from the railing. "My apologies, Aphrodite," she began, staring at the tendril, "but as the goddess of battle, I must choose which battles are in my interest, and this is not amongst them. Best of luck, though." Aphrodite's reply was little more than a distraught choking wail.

"GET OUT!" Artemis suddenly growled.

Aphrodite's eyes widened, and Artemis allowed her to speak. "I…don't… understand!"

"You are in my domain! You _will_ leave, or I swear to Zeus that I will grind you into dust! Let my son go!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Now_."

Aphrodite did nothing for a moment, and then narrowed her eyes at the fallen half-blood. A second later, the film of red light covering his body faded.

Artemis glanced down at her son, then back up at the goddess. Slowly the tendril around her opponent's neck withdrew, followed by the other. Both retracted into the shimmering, flame-like aura, before this, too, faded. Her eyes returned to their normal silvery-yellow.

Aphrodite collapsed into a sobbing heap as soon as she hit the ground.

Artemis strode coolly towards her and stopped, staring down at the battered goddess. Aphrodite glared indignantly up at her, eyes stained with golden tears. "I swear, Artemis, next time you-" she didn't get to finish her threat, due to the fact that Artemis' hand shot down and clamped itself around her throat. She dragged her up, bringing them face to face and forcing the love goddess to meet her gaze.

She spoke in unemotional tone laced with terrifying certainty. "If there _is_ a next time, Aphrodite, then I swear to you, on the River Styx itself, I will rend your essence asunder with such brutality that what's left will be so hideous and unrecognizable that in terms of _beauty_, Hephaestus will look like a veritable Adonis in comparison to you." She said this in a civil, conversational voice that was so chilling new tears formed in the goddess of love's eyes. "Do we have an understanding?"

She nodded mutely and Artemis tossed her back to the ground like a discarded towel.

She strode back to Armani and crouched down beside him. Cradling his head to her chest with one hand, she turned her gaze to Ares, who flinched slightly as she made eye contact. "Get _that_…" she spat, stabbing her free hand at the fallen goddess, "…Out of my _sight._"

Ares carefully strode forwards, not taking his eyes of Artemis as she followed him with her piercing gaze. He gave her a wide birth as he passed, and once he had collected the cowering Aphrodite in his arms, he wasted no time in reverting to his immortal form and disappearing with his lover.

As the form in her arm stirred, Artemis brought the other arm around and held him gently to her chest.

It was over.

Athena clicked her pen closed and tucked her clipboard under her arm. "Well! I think that concludes my little study, it has been most informative. You may wish to attend to Armani and Artemis now."

"But mother! Do you know what's going on? Do you know where the Hunters are?"

She seemed to ponder this. "Hmm…I have an idea, but you know the rules, my dear. I cannot interfere directly. I wouldn't worry; I have faith in you Annabeth. You'll figure it out soon enough." She patted her daughter's blonde curls and strolled away. There was flash of light, and then she was gone, leaving the children to pick up the pieces.

-A-

_So cold…_

It had become so cold, and silent, like I had fallen into a numb limbo I couldn't climb out of. Then there was…a feeling, something warm enveloping me like a blanket and dragging me out of my solitary darkness.

_Is someone there?_

Then I heard it clearly; the song was back. I could feel nature flooding in around me, the sounds of the wild singing to me; the most wonderful song in all of creation. The darkness was abating; something was pulling me back up to the surface. The terrifying emptiness was being filled. The burning feelings in my heart were being extinguished, replaced by the eternally cool calm I normally felt.

_Those weren't my feelings._

Something wonderful and reassuring had surrounded me. The abject terror was dying, being replaced by indescribable relief.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself wrapped in the warm embrace of another. It felt like the safest place in all of creation. The contrast, after the terror I had just felt, was so great that I knew I was crying as another arm wrapped around me and held me tighter. I was so tired…I simply fell asleep like that, wrapped in that warm embrace with tears on my face.

_Thank you, mother…_

-A-

My sleep was calm and soothing. That was, of course, until it was invaded by a dream…

The image cleared and I saw a man, crouched over, wearing what appeared to be a tattered silk suit. I noticed suddenly that his back and arms had a few arrows in them, as if someone had been taking pot-shots at him. Gold blood ran from the wounds.

_A god?_

He was straining, as if holding something up. I focused. For a moment, it looked like he was holding up a dark marble ceiling, but then I realized that it seemed to extend forever.

_What is _that_?_

There was a storm brewing in that darkness. Lightning crackled. Wind wailed. Collapsed black marble columns and rubble were strewn about. The large man's eyes appeared to be looking right at me as he bore his burden. However, somehow I got the feeling that it wasn't _me_ he was seeing. Suddenly he snarled with rage, "Is it not enough that I am forced to bear this burden for all eternity _again?_ Now _you _return to torment me, too! _You wretched girl_!" I sincerely hoped it _wasn__'__t_ me he was seeing. Iris was bad enough. "I _swear_ I will make you pay for this!" His rage seemed to explode in my face. "YOU WILL PAY!" he bellowed with such anger I was jerked right out of my sleep and bolted upright with a gasp of fear, cold sweat running down my back.

-A-

_Threat assessment!_

"W-What? Where is-?" My instincts screamed as I glanced about in startled shock, my eyes flicking wildly about the room. I realized I was lying in a bed, in the same Motel from earlier. Suddenly I felt a hand press on my chest reassuringly. I glanced to the side and was shocked to find _Aren,_ looking at me with what looked like genuine concern in her green eyes. I stared at her for a second in confusion as a strange, tingling shock seemed to surge through me. I glanced around. The light was dim; it must've been evening by now.

"It's all right. Aphrodite is gone; you're safe now."

"Aphro…but…what happened?" I asked, glancing around. The echoes of that sickening fear were still surging through me. I was still shaking. My eyes were still wet with tears, and I dried them on my sleeve.

"It was Lady Artemis; she saved you from Aphrodite."

"Mother…" I breathed.

"Yes?" a gentle voice spoke up, and I turned my head to find Artemis standing in the shadows, a warm smile on her face.

I just stared at her for a moment before choking out one word, my voice thick with emotion. "Thanks."

She just nodded slightly.

"What happened?" I felt I had to ask.

Annabeth responded from her place on the other bed. Clarisse was leaning against what was left of the door frame, and Nico was in the darker shadows in the opposite corner of the room. "Lady Artemis saved you. She…_convinced_ Aphrodite that it would be in her best interests to leave you alone in future. How do you feel?"

I stared down at my chest. I could still feel echoes of the pain. "I'm fine…"

"Liar," Clarisse said. "But if you need some more counseling you know where to come."

I smiled sadly. "I'm not sure I could survive another one of your little _lessons_, but thanks."

"Will you really be all right?" Aren asked. She was sitting oddly close to a boy for someone who's repulsed by them.

"Yeah. It might take a bit of time to get over the emotional trauma, but I'll be okay. There are more important things to worry about right now than how much love hurts."

"You have been cleansed of those emotions, and Aphrodite will never attempt such a thing again. Your heart will heal," My mother spoke up.

I nodded. I had been emotional for far longer than I should have been, given how desperate the current situation was. "Of course. But the situation has changed."

Nico stepped out of his dark niche. "What's up?" he asked, and I noticed Aren tense. I sensed animosity and I realized her revulsion to boys seemed to only have abated around me.

_This could cause problems._

I had no idea what my instinct meant, but I put the possible future conflicts out of my head. There was a more important issue at hand. "I just had a dream."

I instantly saw everyone's attention pique up. "A dream?" Annabeth asked, stepping forwards. "As in, an omen? Or another blue monkey?"

I focused on my memory of the dream. "It was as clear as the one with Hades. But I'd never seen the god in this one before."

My mother spoke up this time. "A god? Can you be sure?"

"He had gold blood, so I had to guess he was."

"Bleeding? Was he in a fight or something?" Clarisse asked.

Annabeth sighed. "Perhaps you'd best just describe it to us. Don't leave anything out; not a single detail."

So I didn't; I explained it down to the last sound and sight, right down to the feelings I had along with it.

They all fell silent as they dwelled on the words.

"I don't get it," Clarisse admitted after a moment.

"So…some god someone's hit with arrows?" Nico said. "Sorry, I've got nothing."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked after a moment.

I frowned. "About what?"

"The ceiling; you said it seemed to stretch off forever, and he was holding it," Annabeth said, suspicion in her voice.

"You don't think it's-" Aren said, sounding more scared than I'd ever heard her.

I noticed my mother nod. "It wasn't a ceiling that stretched off into eternity, Armani. It was the sky."

My eyes widened in realization. "The sky? Being held up by…" I paused as the old tale came back to mind. "It wasn't a god, was it?"

Annabeth answered, her tone deadly serious. "No, it wasn't a god…it was a Titan."

I breathed out the name. "Atlas_…_but how does that help? It doesn't tell us anything!"

"No," My mother objected. "It tells us everything_._"

I frowned and Annabeth spoke up. "Collapsed black marble pillars… A _shattered palace._"

Aren spoke next. "The palace of the Titans."

I glanced around. I was obviously out of the loop here. "Wait, since when did the Titans have a palace?"

My mother answered, "They have always had one; it was blasted to pieces in the first war, and reformed during the uprising, but it has collapsed again…or, you could say, shattered. As far as I know, in that place only one thing remains standing: Atlas, forever tasked with holding up the sky."

Annabeth spoke again. "We journey west, first to the Desert of the Meadows, then further west to the Shattered Palace."

My mother clarified. "To the fallen palace of the Titans…we have to go to San Francisco."

-A-

I walked out of the room and glanced down at the ruins of the motel. "_Sweet Zeus!_ What in Hades _happened_ here?"

Nico strode out beside me. "You know how we said your mom had a little falling-out with Aphrodite? Ah…it might not have been quite as little as you assumed."

Half the motel had been leveled, and there were gaping holes in some of the buildings. "They were fighting?"

Annabeth glanced cautiously at my mother. "No, it wasn't much of a fight."

"I was merely reprimanding Aphrodite appropriately for stepping out of line," she said simply as she strode past us.

There were several nervous glances that told me that my mother hadn't been as impartial with the goddess of love as she was implying.

"Still," I began, following after her. "It's the manager I feel sorry for."

My mother glanced over her shoulder. "That filthy wretch? Why ever would you?"

I cocked my head. "Well…it's just…his insurance isn't going to fix this."

Nico frowned. "Why's that?"

"Acts of god aren't covered."

Annabeth groaned and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least your sense of humor is back to normal."

_I wasn't joking, though…_

-A-

I found the manager unconscious and sprawled out over the desk; obviously, Aphrodite hadn't wanted interference from anyone. I stopped only to swipe Apollo's Amex card and add another hundred thousand to the bill. It was only polite to pay for the damages, after all.

I printed a copy of the transaction receipt and stuck it to the side of the unconscious manager's face. "I hope that softens the blow."

"If you are quite finished with this pointless display of compassion, may we go?" My mother sighed impatiently.

"Hey, we broke it, we bought it…although, technically, _you_ broke it."

"Forgive me for not weeping with guilt," she muttered sarcastically as she strode to her chariot.

We all climbed aboard, but I noticed Aren staring daggers at Nico. "W-what?" he asked nervously. He was several inches taller than the blonde girl and significantly better muscled, but she had an oddly imposing presence for someone of her stature.

"I do not approve of a _boy_ aboard the mistress' chariot."

I sighed drearily.

_Here we go…_

"Hey!" Nico objected, and I realized he had stabbed a finger at me. "_He__'__s_ a boy!"

"He is _not_!"

_Oh for pity's sake, not this again!_

"Yes, Aren, actually, I am. And kindly don't make me prove it." I swear, I was _this_ far from actually doing so.

"He's different!" Aren retorted, "He was born of Lady Artemis herself; we see him as her immaculate child before anything else!"

I rubbed my brow. I had a feeling they'd start asking me to take sides soon. I leaned towards my mother as she got her chariot moving. "Can you, you know, _do _something about this? I'd rather they at least fall into mutual silent disdain as opposed to attempting to throw each other to their deaths."

"No," she said simply.

"B-but—"

"I want you to deal with the situation. Nico is your friend, and Aren has founded beliefs that I will not order her to change. I would like to see you mediate between them yourself."

I considered arguing, but remembered the futility of disputing a point with a god who was convinced they were right. Also, I had seen the devastation my mother could cause when she was angry, and I wasn't sure just how calm she was right now. I knew _I_ was still shaken by the situation.

Nico was looking anywhere but at Aren. Obviously, his guilt prevented him from meeting her disapproving glare. I didn't blame him; I'd been on the receiving end of the Hunter's scorn, and it was quite an ugly feeling. They had a way of convincing you with their stares that you were an inferior form of life. But I didn't think a battle of the sexes was the way to clear this up. "Aren, Nico, that's enough!"

"It's _his fault_, though!" she hissed angrily at me.

"He made a mistake, and now he's trying to make amends. I want you to be big enough to allow him to try and do that."

She gritted her teeth angrily; obviously she was desperate to take a swing at him. "All _right_…one chance, boy. I'm giving you _one_ _chance_ to prove yourself to me."

_That's more than she gave me; I suppose that's as good as he's ever going to get._

I smiled. "Good, now kiss and make up." I was met by two pairs of disbelieving eyes. "Just kidding! Just kidding, Aren, jeez, don't look at me like that…"

I suddenly noticed something that made me smile happily at the little Huntress.

She blinked as she noticed me staring. "W-what?"

"Your nose."

She seemed to blush slightly. "What about it?"

"It's fixed, I just noticed," I said. I had, after all, broken it with Apollo's condo door at one point in the past.

She rubbed a ringer on the bridge of her nose. "Y-yeah, ambrosia sure can work wonders."

I nodded. "Just as well. It is one of your more appealing features. "

_Where the heck did that come from?_

I shuffled back up to my mother again. "You…umm…_sure_ you got all the Aphrodite out of me?" I muttered.

She inclined her head. "Quite sure, there may be lingering effects, but I unfortunately cannot say. You handled that quite well, by the way."

"Yeah, well, Aren showed great restraint, considering she hates boys _and_ this one was indirectly responsible for the Hunters disappearing."

"As a matter of fact, once she found out the truth, she tried to break his neck while you were unconscious. She was quite difficult to restrain."

I sighed. "Hasn't changed _that_ much, then."

A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "As I said, she is stubborn in her beliefs." She paused, as if pondering something. "If I might ask…just out of curiosity, you understand…who was it you first laid eyes on after awakening?"

I frowned and thought back. "…Aren, why?"

"Did she meet _your_ eyes?"

I raised an eyebrow. "…Yes, _why?_"

I noticed my mother frown slightly. "No reason…probably a lingering effect."

I glanced back at the Huntress, who still had a faint blush on her cheeks. She really _did_ have a cute nose, I had to say.

_Cute? What do you mean _cute_? Since when have we ever thought _anything _was cute?_

I shook my head sharply to clear it.

_Gods, this could be problematic._

I forced myself to focus on more important matters. "How long until we arrive?"

"I cannot risk resuming our previous speeds, especially as we approach the coast. The tides would become far too erratic. We should arrive in about thirty minutes, however."

I nodded; I hoped we could get this matter resolved before the day was out. I noticed that my mother was glancing upwards again. "I still cannot see them…"

I looked up and frowned. "See what?"

"The stars…it's too early, and with demigods and a mortal with me I cannot risk going too high into the stratosphere to get a better look."

"Why? Is it important?"

"I pray it is not," she replied ambiguously after a moment.

I left her to focus on flying in silence from there on, and I turned back to the group. They were no longer glaring at one another, but rather sitting in a most uncomfortable silence.

_Like the calm before a storm…_

_-A-_

A storm was indeed raging above San Francisco as we arrived. Angry thunderclouds rumbled, illuminating the darkness with the occasional flash of white light.

"Ominous," I muttered.

"Yeah, Zeus must be ticked at something," Clarisse added as she clenched her spear. I assumed it was her version of a comfort thing.

"The palace of the Titans remains surrounded in Mist, I see. It will be easier to access directly from the air."

I stared at the remnants of the structure. It was pretty much all rubble now. Obviously the gods had given the place a proper pounding. It appeared little more than randomly strewn fragments of dark marble from my current vantage point.

"Anyone else getting a really bad feeling?" Nico said as he leaned out next to me.

"You think the Hunters are captive down there?" Annabeth asked. She sounded dubious, and I shared her concern. Something was wrong.

"You think it's another trap?" Clarisse asked.

Artemis inclined her head. "Oh most certainly so, but unfortunately we won't know what it is until it's sprung. I would suggest you all be on your guard."

"I hate this place," Aren said as she drew her hunting dagger.

"Oh, bad memories?" I asked.

She nodded. "Lady Artemis was captive here once, and…we lost someone here, too."

I sighed. "Then let's just get your sisters and leave. I have a very, _very_ bad feeling about this place." I summoned my bow and several arrows; it didn't hurt to be prepared. I hooked the weapon over my shoulder and unsheathed my sword as we landed. The others also drew their weapons. Annabeth had her own dagger free and Nico's Stygian iron sword was looking as menacing as ever. Clarisse's spear seemed to crackle with excitement. Then we touched down in the remains of the shattered palace.

-A-

My mother led the way, her own bow drawn as we spread out through the rubble in the darkness.

"Tactical nightmare," Annabeth mumbled, and she was right. There had to be a hundred nooks and crannies an attacker could lunge out from. Heck, there could be an _army_ hidden in the various shadows and we wouldn't know. The only real light was the occasional bolt of lightning illuminating the skies.

Speaking of the sky… "Hey, kid!" a voice suddenly shouted and I swung about, arrow aimed. It was the man from my dream, with a deceptively kind smile plastered on his face. I noticed idly that he had a few more arrows sticking out from his back. My mother had appeared beside a pillar, but was out of his line of sight. Aren approached but I waved her back. "Psst! Over here!" the man said.

I approached the Titan cautiously. "Ah…hey there," I said conversationally.

He smiled a wide, toothy smile. "Hi there, kid, lovely day, isn't it?" I glanced up at the thunderclouds above.

_Don't tell me he's going to try and…oh, might as well let him go through the motions._

I inclined my head. "It _is_ somewhat picturesque in a macabre sort of way."

He laughed. "Sure is. Say, kid…I don't suppose you could give me a hand with this thing, could you?" he asked in a perfectly nonchalant way.

I hummed in thought. "Hmm…I dunno. I don't have my lifting belt, and that thing looks _awfully_ heavy."

He tried to laugh it off. "Oh, come on, just for a sec. I just need a quick hand."

" I dunno…"

"Aw, come on, it's not that bad."

I nodded. "All right, I just have one question first."

He grinned. "Sure!"

I sighed. "How dumb _was _Hercules, really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I mean, in terms of cunning villainy this guy was hardly Hannibal Lecter.

His smile melted instantly and his face screwed up into a pout. "Yeah, well, folks were a lot simpler back in the day. What'ya want?" he asked glumly and went back to focusing on his task.

I hummed thoughtfully. "So, you're Atlas, then?"

His eyes moved impatiently back to me. "Yeah, who wants to know?"

My mother moved out from her concealment and Atlas groaned angrily. "Oh, _great__…_Here for some payback, are you, Artemis?"

My mother raised an eyebrow. "I cannot deny I find some pleasure in seeing you like this."

He sighed. "Jeez, what'd I ever do to deserve this?" he groaned.

My mother's other eyebrow went up at that.

Atlas glanced away. "Oh, right…_that._"

Aren stepped forwards, her eyes full of undisguised loathing for the Titan. "I've glanced about but I can't seem to find any sign of them."

Atlas scoffed. "What's the matter, Artemis? Lost your reindeer?"

I could tell it took a great amount restraint on my mother's part not to start torturing the Titan; I doubt she wanted that load dropped into her arms. "Be silent, Atlas" she mumbled, and began scouring the area.

I leaned in cautiously and yanked an arrow free of the Titan's shoulder. "HEY!" he roared.

I ignored him as I wiped the golden fluid from the arrowhead. "It looks like one of the Hunter's arrows," I said, showing it to my mother.

She eyed it critically. "Yes, except it seems to have lost its sheen... I've never seen one in this condition before."

"I've looked all around," Nico said as he walked up. "There's no sign of the Hunters, the place is totally deserted."

_Then why do I get the feeling I'm being watched?_

A flash of lightning illuminated the area, and for a second I thought I caught sight of something crouched like a gargoyle on a collapsed wall. But after the next flash it was gone.

Annabeth and Clarisse approached from the other direction. "I've had a scout around, there doesn't seem to be another living thing here. Has anyone else seen any sign of the Hunters?"

"I have!" We all blinked and swung around. The words had come from Atlas.

"_What_ did you say?" I asked cautiously.

"I've seen your Hunters. All of them! Dragged through here out cold in a big pile, thought they were dead at first. Saw them with my own two eyes."

Aren lurched forwards, probably to try and wring more information out of the Titan, but I grabbed her shoulder and she stopped dead. "_Yeah_? And why should we believe you?"

His face melted into a mask of utter rage. "Why? _WHY?_ LOOK AT ME!" I stared at him and could only assume he meant the arrows embedded in his body. "WHY AM I GOING TO TELL YOU? _SPITE!_I don't even CARE about you taking this thing from me! I'll tell you just as _payback_!"

Something told me I should listen to the irate Titan. "All right, Atlas, you have my attention. Where are the Hunters?"

He groaned. "_Think,_ you stupid half-blood! Where in this filthymortal city would _you_ take someone you wanted to keep securely prisoner?"

I only had to ponder his words for a second before realization dawned. I swung around to look over San Francisco, or to be more precise, at a small island out in the bay.

Everyone else was staring, too. "Alcatraz," Nico breathed.

Suddenly there was another flash of lightning and I froze dead. I swiftly cleared my mind to hide my thoughts from my mother, and was very careful not to make a single defensive move.

_Oh, no…_

"Mother, time to go."

She nodded and immediately turned to leave.

"Nico and I will follow in a moment."

She paused. "Why?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"There's just something I need to check out, just to make sure we haven't overlooked anything. Don't worry, Nico can shadow travel us over once we're done. But you need to get over there as soon as possible. We don't know how long the Hunters have left."

She hesitated; she knew I was hiding something, but she also knew she had no time to lose.

"Very well … Aren, stay with them, please."

She nodded. "Of course, Lady Artemis."

"Annabeth, Clarisse, come with me."

"Right," Annabeth said, staring at me cautiously.

Clarisse just smirked and hoisted her spear. "All right, let's go save the day!"

I paused and waited until my mother had disappeared completely from sight before I did anything. My eyes were darting right and left.

"Armani, what's wrong?" Nico asked. "Why aren't we going with Artemis?"

"Shh!" I hissed. "I don't like being shot in the back while walking away, that's why!"

Aren walked up slowly. "What do you mean," she whispered. "What's going on?"

"Nobody move," I said, frozen to the spot. I muttered quietly under my breath, "There's somebody else here"

Aren took the revelation in stoic silence, but Nico swung into a defensive stance, his eyes flicking around madly. Aren had moved in front of me.

Everything went oddly silent for a moment before the peace was shattered.

"Look out!" Nico shouted as a grey arrow shot out of the shadows. How he moved so fast I don't know, but he got in its path before it could impale Aren through the heart. It struck his shoulder with a sickening _thunk_ and sent him crashing to the earth.

"Nico!" I shouted as he reached for the arrow, gasping in pain. "Aren! Help him!"

"Right!"

I unshouldered my bow with lightning speed and nocked an arrow as another shot flew out of the shadows. I aimed for a split second and shot the bolt out of the air with my own arrow. The fact that the attacker had ignored the others now that they were on the ground told me I was the intended target. A furious rage welled up inside of me.

"Who's the filthy coward who would shoot through an innocent maiden to get to me?" I bellowed into the shadows.

A smooth, demure voice spoke up from somewhere above me. "She was in my line of fire. I may have missed my intended quarry, but striking down thy comrade was truly an unforeseen bonus."

I heard Aren give an involuntary gasp at the voice.

I glanced up, altering my aim as I saw her in the dim light. The dull glinting of the silver circlet on her head was easily visible now.

She was standing poised on top of one of the few standing columns, bow drawn and aimed right into my face. Her long black braid rippled in the wind as she glared down at me with proud, oddly dull black eyes, like Stygian iron.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Aren's eyes widen in shock and dawning realization. They seemed to suddenly fill with tears. "Oh gods, _no_…" she moaned.

I saw Nico staring up with both shock and fear in his eyes. I didn't need clarification as to who it was. Ever since I had seen her out of the corner of my eye, I had known who it was. After all, I had seen her before— once before, in the vision of the night of my birth Apollo had shown to me. But hers was the sort of face one does not forget.

"Zoë Nightshade…"

[A/N] I'll catch you in Chapter 8: Pride


	8. Chapter 8: Pride

[A/N] And thusly the remastered version continues, so let's keep right on going…

Perspective rules are as follows:

-A- Armani's perspective

-3- Third Person

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 8: Pride**

"My name is not important. All you need know is this: I am thy enemy," the shade said in a deadly tone.

_Oh great, an undead Huntress with a speech impediment…_

"Zoë…" Aren choked in despair.

"If it helps, that's not really Zoë Nightshade," I said, not taking my eyes from the shade. "It may look like her, it may talk like her, but it's _not_ really her."

The shade cocked her head slightly. "Then why did thou refer to me as such?"

I sighed. "Because I couldn't very well call you Zoë Nightshadeshade, now could I? Of course not, that would sound silly. Now, what is it you want? Is it just _me_ you're after or did you come to murder your fellow Hunters too?"

She tensed; she seemed torn, as if she were thinking one thing but doing another. She steeled herself after a moment. "I will kill you in the name of Artemis, boy! You—you who was created by a violation of the mistress' sanctity!"

_It would seem Hades has been whispering nasty things in her ear. But if she wants a debate…_

"Then why did she claim me as her own?" I posed.

"Her hands were bound by oath!"

"And why did she give me the power of a Hunter? _Without _bothering to have me take an oath?" I demanded.

_That's it, keep throwing her…keep confusing her._

Her brow tensed again; she seemed thrown, but after a moment she gritted her teeth. "_Lies!_ A typical male deception! So if there is nothing else, prepare thyself to be cleansed!"

"He's not lying, Zoë!" Aren pleaded desperately. "Please! You have to-"

"Aren!" I snapped. "Stay down and stay out of this! If you get in her way, she'll kill you without a second thought!"

"It pains me to admit it, Aren, but the boy is correct. I shall slay any who get in the way of my objective. Now boy, if you have any last words you wish to speak, I shall give you a second to speak them."

"You speak as if you have me bested already," I said. Then I glanced at Aren. "…and has she _always_ randomly interspersed her speech with Ye Olde English, or did Hades just mess up somewhere?"

"No, she was always like that, but normally only when she was tense…or seriously pissed off."

"Check and check. And if I might ask you, '_Zoë_,' what makes you think you have me beaten when we're clearly in a stalemate position?"

Her proud brow clenched into a frown. "What jest is this? A stalemate? I have you _ranged_, boy!"

"And I'll just shoot down your arrow again," I said with a sigh, "and if our reaction speeds are at all similar we'll have nocked another arrow each and be right back where we started. That is, until we run out of arrows…although I feel I should warn you, I _never_ run out of arrows."

Her teeth clenched and she fired. So did I. The outcome was as I predicted; one arrow deflecting another.

In a second we had nocked arrows again, and again she had done as I expected; she had nocked _two_ this time.

"Impressive," she said grudgingly as I gripped my own two arrows.

I smiled. "No…_this_ is impressive," I said and materialized a third arrow in my hand.

I loosed without hesitation. Two arrows collided midair and the third, shockingly, missed her by a hair's breadth as she leapt straight up with all the grace of a cheetah.

She drew her sword in mid-air and I did likewise.

_Right, she's still just a Hunter. And Artemis isn't on her side this time. How tough can she be?_

I found out a second later.

I blocked her overhead strike, but the force knocked me back two feet. Her blade slid the length of mine, and she used the motion to spin into a back-handed attack that pushed me back even more. She reversed the spin, hit me with another powerful blow, and I staggered.

_A guard break!_

She flipped her sword around in her hand and drove it towards my abdomen, but my reflexes were just good enough that, with the split second I had to spare, I managed to lean back limbo-style, and her stab missed me by a millimeter.

I braced myself on the ground and hit her with a double kick to the chest that sent her flying backwards. She didn't strike the earth, though; she merely parried herself off one hand and flipped right back onto her feet.

_Okay…so she's not half bad._

She paused, "Thy instinct saved thee, boy. State thy name; I wish to confirm thee as my target."

"Armani Dove. I assume you actually have _orders_ to kill me? Or do you just not like my face?"

She inclined her head, ironically polite. "My purpose in being here is indeed your death; that is my only goal. Should anyone attempt to prevent that goal from being accomplished, they will also be felled by my hand, as I have already proven."

"All right…but if I might ask…if you really _do _serve my mother, as you claim, why did you kidnap the Hunters? How can you be loyal to her _and_ betray her?"

She was about to spit something out in retaliation but froze. She was obviously confused, but seemed to recover after a moment. "It was my purpose. You were my target. My former sisters were merely bait to ensure you brought yourself before me."

_It would appear her programming is paramount after all…_

I heard Aren give a tiny gasp of pain at the phrase 'former sisters', and for some reason I was getting very upset at how distressed Zoë was making her. "You truly aren't Zoë. And it is in _her_ name that I will defeat you, so I can send her back to the place she earned through two thousand years of loyalty and love!" I yelled, shifting my weight to lower my center of gravity.

The shade obviously didn't like my speech. Faster than my eyes could follow, she had bolted towards me and hit me in the chest with her elbow. I was unprepared for the brutality of the strike and found myself thrown backwards into the dirt.

_Cripes…she fights like a demon!_

Her dull eyes showed little to no emotion, and as Hades had said in my dream, she seemed to have retained her physical power as a Hunter. The two thousand years plus of combat experience weren't something to be shrugged at, either.

She leaped up into the air and embedded her sword in the ground where my head _would_ have been had I not flipped myself backwards and onto my feet.

She didn't stop, though. She simply used her buried sword point as a lever to swing herself round and kick me in the abdomen. I flew backwards and slammed into a black marble pillar.

She yanked her blade out of the ground and charged me.

As she raised the sword to bury it in my chest, I grasped hold of the pillar behind me for leverage and thrust my foot under her guard, square into her chest with all the strength I could muster. Her eyes widened in shock as the kick made contact and sent her soaring backwards and flat onto her back. Her sword skittered to the ground nearby.

_I just Sparta Kicked Zoë Nightshade…_

"Sure…_now _it works," I muttered under my breath as I pushed myself away from the pillar.

"That's the spirit! Tear her to pieces!" a deep voice called sportingly from the sidelines.

"Shut up, Atlas!" I snapped angrily.

The shade pushed herself to her knees. She obviously knew she couldn't get to her blade, so she summoned her bow and made a grab for her quiver, which was resting on the ground a few feet away.

I didn't give her the chance. I tossed my sword down, summoned my own bow and fired an arrow right into her extended palm, pinning it to the ground.

She screamed in agony, and I hesitated.

_Finish her off!_

I froze, and I realized with horror why she kept pushing me back so hard, and why I wasn't beating on her with the force I normally would have.

_It's because you don't WANT to beat her. Deep down, you don't want her to die…_

It was true. If she were a beast of some sort, I would've simply attacked her on instinct and cut her to pieces with everything I had. But I was hesitating; I'd never even met her before, but there was some sort of lingering sentimental attachment. Was it from my mother? Was it because I was a Hunter? I didn't know, but what I did know was this:

_Unless you pull yourself together, she'll pick you apart. Stop thinking and start acting!_

"Sorry," I muttered, then narrowed my eyes. I called on the song of the wild, and it responded, flowing through my veins, my body glowing with an ethereal silver light as I drowned my sentiment in cold intent.

As Zoë pulled herself up, she tore the arrow free of her hand. The blood turned to dust as it fell and the wound closed up around her hand.

She turned to face me, her features a mask of rage, but I didn't give her a second to act.

She took a step forward and I fired again. The arrow struck her chest; she staggered, but kept coming.

Another arrow. This time in her right leg; she barely staggered, however as she took up her sword from the ground.

_Stop holding back!_

I blinked back a tear I hadn't realized was there and fired another, right into Zoë's heart.

This time her eyes widened in shock as she collapsed backwards. Then she was still.

_Sword! NOW!_

I retrieved my sword and advanced on the still shade. I raised my blade up over her throat and used all my strength to hold back my emotions.

I gritted my teeth and swung my sword down to remove her head. Then the unexpected happened, as it invariably does. With a blur of movement, the shade tore free the arrow in her heart and stabbed it into the back of my lower right leg.

_Okay…ouch._

"YAAAGHH!" I screamed and I staggered forward as Zoë tore the muscle open. My blade missed and I drove it into the ground to stop myself from falling flat on my face.

_Get back!_

I used the sword to parry myself around and hop back as Zoë climbed to her feet, pulling the arrows free.

She stood waiting for a second as the wounds on her body healed. I, on the other hand was not so fortunate.

My bag was behind her on the ground, so I had no ambrosia or nectar to heal myself with. Nico was down; there was no way he could fight with an arrow embedded in his shoulder.

"You fight well, but you should have killed me when the chance arose," she said as she began to advance on me, sword in hand.

_Bow!_

My bow shot into my hand with a flash of silver light, and I fired three arrows at the girl.

She was prepared this time. She swung her blade around in an arc and severed the three projectiles from the air.

"I'm starting to see how you lived so long," I grunted, using most of my concentration to stay on my feet. I knew that if I put any pressure on my other leg I'd tear the muscle right open.

So, _fine_, all I had to do was take her on one leg. All I had to do was fight her on this _one_ spot and win without moving.

_You're dead. You know that, right?_

Why is it that when the crunch comes your instincts only state the obvious?

I dismissed my bow and grabbed my sword, just in time to block Zoë's blade as she moved to separate my head from my shoulders.

She smirked mirthlessly, swung her leg around and swiped mine from under me. She elbowed me in the chest and sent me crashing onto my back.

Her foot slammed into my chest, pinning me down as she raised her sword point up. I summoned an arrow, but her other foot stomped down onto my wrist, pinning that as well.

I stared up into her dull black eyes as she smiled coldly. "Mission accomplished."

She clenched the hilt of her sword and prepared to thrust, but was abruptly stopped when a black iron blade suddenly erupted from her chest cavity.

She froze dead, staring down at the Stygian iron. I glanced behind her to find Aren, sobbing openly, with Nico's sword in her trembling hands.

Everything went oddly silent for a moment. Then a confused voice spoke up. "Aren… Where am I?"

It was Zoë.

_Oh, gods, no…_

-3-

_Meanwhile…_

Away from the docking area, the main courtyard of the deserted Alcatraz prison was unnervingly quiet as Artemis disembarked from her chariot, flanked by Annabeth and Clarisse. The world around the small island was invisible due to the mist (and the Mist) that surrounded it. All that was visible was the water sloshing up against the rocks.

The goddess and the half-bloods stopped. Artemis' eyes flicked about, assessing the area, one of her hunting knives drawn.

"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?" Clarisse muttered.

Artemis eyed the ground curiously. "If our enemy is here, I sense nothing, which _does_ give me a bad feeling."

Annabeth frowned. "What's this?" she said as she crouched down.

Clarisse stared at the ground she was examining. "What's up?"

Annabeth ran her hand through the soil, "the earth around this whole area's been disturbed for some reason," she said as she looked around. The well-trodden earth had indeed been dug up in long trenches down the courtyard.

"Landscaping?"

The daughter of Athena frowned. "Unless they're planning to grow potatoes on Alcatraz Island, then I doubt it."

Artemis plunged a hand into the earth, rummaged for a second, then pulled out what looked like an assorted arrangement of teeth and bones. She eyed them curiously, then smelled them and tossed them away in disgust.

"Lady Artemis? What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"The stench of death, of the Underworld; this place is saturated in it." She glared at the doors in front of her. "If I am indeed part of this quest, then I will handle the situation myself. Remain here; I will enter and find my Hunters." Without waiting for them to agree, Artemis began striding towards the main doors.

"What if it's an ambush?" Clarisse called after her.

Artemis didn't stop. "Then my enemies will have saved me the trouble of hunting them."

"Will she be okay by herself?"

"She's a _goddess_, Clarisse," Annabeth said with a sigh.

"Right, right, keep forgetting that. It'd be easier if she weren't so _small," _the daughter of Ares whispered back.

"I heard that," the aforementioned small goddess muttered as she stopped, staring up at the tall doors.

Her eyes moved to rooftops left and right, then up to the buildings that surrounded them.

There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing.

And for some reason that _really_ disturbed her.

She shook her head and continued towards the door.

As she raised her hand, there was a loud 'Clank', like the sound of a switch being thrown. Night turned to day as she found herself suddenly bathed in the beam of a spotlight on the corner of one of the buildings.

She swung about as another beam of luminescence blazed to life, from another spotlight on another building. Then another turned on, and another, and the goddess of the hunt found herself illuminated from all around. Her shadow stretched in four directions as she glanced about.

Finally from the roof just behind her, two more turned on, lighting up the two half-bloods, who reflexively leapt into defensive stances.

The whole area was now illuminated in blinding, eerie artificial light. The only sound was the panting of the two half-bloods. It was only lights, but Annabeth felt like the entire building was now glaring down at them.

Clarisse recovered in a moment, her spear crackling angrily. "That supposed to intimidate me?" she shouted. "Why don't you stop being such cowards and come out and face us!"

As if in response there was a sudden groaning noise from all around.

Artemis glanced to the sides. The guttering had opened, exposing two soak-away pipes on either side of the doorway. Others had opened at different points, from other buildings.

The air was filled with the trickling sound of water and Artemis watched as liquid began running out of the drainpipes and flowing into the trenches and branching off into smaller ones. It was like an agricultural project on steroids.

The goddess realized, however, that it wasn't water that was flowing out of the pipes. The dark crimson glint and cloying scent were unmistakable.

She highly doubted it was tomato juice.

The blood ran down and seeped into the upturned soil from all directions.

Annabeth had also noticed it, and it only took a second for the pieces to click together. She gasped in horror as she realized just what they had walked into. "The bones… Clarisse, back away!"

"Why, what's going on?" she asked, her voice low and cautious.

"We were right; it's an ambush, a _very_ big one." she turned her attention to the goddess, "Lady Artemis!"

"I know! Take up a defensive position; I will handle them when they come"

"You heard the lady, Clarisse! Let's back up; get the water at our backs!"

Clarisse backed up, looking decidedly irritable. "You wanna tell me exactly what's going on?" she hissed angrily.

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a loud rumbling sound that was seemingly coming from all around them. It felt like the entire earth was suddenly trembling in fear. "You're about to find out!" Annabeth shouted, and drew her dagger just as a bony hand erupted from the upturned earth nearby.

Another burst of earth followed, only this time it looked like a claw of some kind.

Moments later, limbs were exploding out of the earth all around the courtyard as undead creatures of all species began pulling themselves free.

As soon as one emerged, another limb would erupt from almost the exact same spot, as if the former had made way for the new one to grow.

Zombie policeman, army officers, Roman centurions, and various other period uniformed undead lumbered out, their bones visible through shimmering flesh. Undead bears, tigers and other large animals joined them, looking no less terrifying.

Annabeth and Clarisse stepped back as the small army emerged in front of them, cutting them off from Artemis. The creatures blinked and stretched as they attempted to find focus.

Once the courtyard was so packed that no others could emerge, one by one they fell silent, pausing and sniffing the air as if searching for something.

"But they don't have a scent!" Annabeth whispered. "Perhaps without one they won't-" her words died as the undead force suddenly seemed to turn their attention to them.

Nearly all the monsters seemed to find _odour du Artemis _particularly irresistible, as they all seemed to turn in perfect synchronization towards the small goddess. That did not, however, excuse the two half-bloods. About six of the undead men, armed with various-bladed period weapons, turned their interest to the two girls.

The monsters seemed to forget they were lumbering husks of dead bones and shimmering flesh. They immediately drew their swords with eerily fluid movements and began advancing on the duo.

Clarisse scoffed. "_Six?_ You think just _six_ of you can take me?" she shouted, hefting her crackling spear.

Annabeth drew up to her side, blade ready. "Don't be too careless, Clarisse, these aren't shades. It can take a lot more than removing a head to kill one."

Clarisse snarled viciously, "Then I'll just have to keep chopping until there's nothing left!" On that she swung her spear like a club, knocking the undead onto their backs, and then stabbed down, impaling one through the head.

Annabeth scooped up his dropped sword and swung it down to shatter the skull of another.

Meanwhile the remaining zombie force lunged at the Goddess of the Hunt like the largest pileup in history.

The battle was on.

-A-

"Pull the sword out!" I snapped, ignoring the pain as I did my best to push myself to my feet, using my bow for leverage.

Aren nodded, tears still running down her face, but as she moved to pull the sword free, Zoë reached behind her, her hand grasping Aren's small, trembling one. "Do not!" she choked. "If you do, I shall…shall disappear immediately." .

"B-but-" Aren began.

"I shall bear the pain for the moments left to me. I _remember_… I remember now…what it is I have done… Oh gods, my sisters," she whispered. I doubted the pain in her voice or the tears in her now-brilliant black eyes were caused by the sword in her chest. She swayed and her knees buckled. Aren jumped forward to help her, but the former lieutenant sank to the ground, teeth clenched.

"It wasn't your fault," I grunted as I helped Aren with Zoë. The blonde knelt down to support her, trying not to disturb the blade any further.

"But still…my heart weeps for the pain I have caused my fellow Hunters…"

I was choked with emotion too, but there was no time for guilt. "There was nothing you could do. But there's a chance you can still do something with the time you have left. Zoë, you have to tell me—are the other Hunters still alive?"

She nodded weakly. "They are safe—in the prison in the bay. The only one there was to worry about was Aren. I cannot describe how elated I am to see you well," she said, as she reached up to brush a tear from the blonde Huntress' cheek. She coughed violently, then sighed. "Please, do not weep for me, sister"

The blonde barely managed to speak through her tears. "But we're going to lose you again!"

Zoë smiled pityingly. "You are as emotional as ever, but this is no occasion for sorrow. I will return to my peace in a moment. I ask you be happy for me, Aren, and shed no more tears for my passing, for that happened quite some time ago."

Aren nodded, wiping her tears on her black tunic sleeve.

Suddenly her eyes turned to me and I saw some kind of realization in them. "Why…it's _you_," she said in a weak voice, a small smile on her lips. "…The immaculate one, the mistress' child…"

I inclined my head with a smile. My eyes were moist, but I fought to keep my emotions under control. "So they tell me."

"_Yes__…__" _she breathed. Her sparkling eyes slid out of focus, but her smile widened. "…I've been watching you."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She laughed slightly and raised a shaking hand, pointing to a spot in the sky. "From _there_… You are indeed…" she twitched, but continued. "an…_interesting_ one, and I know you have the strength to complete the task ahead of you."

My brow knitted into a frown. "What task?"

She smiled warmly and closed her eyes. "The final task—the task that was for you and for you alone. You must go to Lady Artemis' side now, for it is on this night that she will have her greatest need of you. You…must protect the heart of the mistress. That is the task that you, and _only_ you, can accomplish."

I didn't bother to ask for clarification. I realized she was already beginning to fade, flecks of sparkling light beginning to float off her skin. I merely nodded and blinked a tear out of my eye. "Understood…rest in peace, sister."

Her smile widened. "Good hunting, brother." And with her final words spoken, Zoë Nightshade faded into brilliant stardust and returned to her place in the heavens, where she belonged.

I turned my gaze to the sky above me as the Huntress reappeared, to continue her run through the stars for all eternity.

-3-

_Elsewhere…_

In the dark of night in the middle of a desert, a dark figure stood staring into the skies at a constellation that had suddenly reappeared. "So, they got her too, eh? Well, it's all in good fun anyway."

"What are you mumbling about?" a short man in a UPS outfit and winged trainers enquired curiously as he checked something on his clipboard.

Hades merely laughed slightly. "Oh, nothing, just a little game, nothing I need to bore you with. Now, what is this urgent message I _must_ collect in person? You know how much I loathe being out on the surface."

"Don't kill the messenger, Hades. The instructions state I have to deliver the message to you in this exact place and in this exact moment," Hermes said as he pulled a small white envelope from his pocket. "Sign here," he said, and Hades grumbled as he scribbled some symbols on the clipboard. They immediately erupted in flames when he was finished. Hermes patted them out with agitation. "_Typical_… Anyways, _here._" He handed the envelope to Hades. "I'm out of here," the messenger god said and disappeared in a white flash.

Hades muttered several Greek curses and tore the envelope open. Yanking free the single sheet of paper, he read the four words written in the middle of the page.

_We need to talk._

No sooner had he finished reading them than the sound of a powerful engine roaring to life blanketed the area as the entire section of desert was suddenly illuminated in blinding daylight.

Apollo's sun chariot descended, its lights on full beam and aimed directly at the lord of the dead.

Hades cowered from the light as Apollo emerged from the driver's seat.

"What is this, Apollo? Using the sun in this way is forbidden, and you know it!" he roared as he tried to block the light with his hands.

Apollo sighed, leaning back lazily on the hood of his chariot. "Oh, come now, uncle, you've just been spending too much time indoors. It's not _that _bright. But then, we all seem to be doing nasty _forbidden _things lately, don't we?"

Hades dropped his hands to his sides, squinting through slatted eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Apollo inclined his head. "Oh, possibly not. But regardless, I simply felt I _had_ to bring you out here to make you aware of a few facts."

"Is that so? And just what might these _facts_ be, nephew?" Hades enquired tersely.

"First, you are aware of the latest prophecy, are you not? And how it involves your son?"

Hades shrugged. "What of it?"

"There are _rumors_ that you are the one responsible."

Again the lord of the dead just sighed. "And what if I am? I've disturbed no balance. You may recall unjust accusations were made against me in the past, and I was sanctioned appropriately with not an ounce of compensation when it came to light that I was not at fault! If anything, I've merely restored the balance; that is, if I _were_ somehow responsible for any of this prophecy. Now, is there anything else, or did you just bring me out here to make me aware of _rumors_?"

Apollo shook his head. "Not at all! Like I said, I just had a couple of facts that I wanted to run by you."

"Go on."

"Firstly, you are aware that most of the heroes on this quest will die, given the current odds against them."

Hades flicked a bit of lint from his robes. "You worry about precious little Artemis?"

Apollo laughed, "Oh, nothing of the sort. See, excluding my sis, of course, the hero in this tale was originally supposed to only have two companions. All in threes, as the old rules state. Artemis was excluded from the calculations, of course; as we Olympians usually are from these things."

Hades' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'originally supposed to'?"

Apollo just laughed. "I don't know. But it would seem _someone_, _somehow_, made a minor alteration to the wording of the prophecy."

Hades scowled. "You mean you—"

Apollo cut him off. "_Me?_ Would I ever do such a thing as to interfere with a prophecy? Shudder the thought! I just noticed the line that ended in the words '_Daughter of the fight' _and, gosh darn it, next time that I looked, for some unfathomable reason, it said _'Daughters of battle and fight'!_"

Hades groaned. "What's your point? So they have two pathetic half-blood girls along instead of one."

Apollo shook his head. "There _was _the additional help the other girl could render, but I don't think that was the primary reason _someone_ altered it like this."

"Oh?"

"Tell me, uncle; you _do_ know where the heroes are fighting right now, don't you?"

He waved it off. "Some prison over in San Francisco, I believe."

"Very good, uncle! Now, suppose, just _suppose_, that this _'Daughter_ _of Battle_' were a daughter of Athena."

Hades shrugged. "It wouldn't make a real difference."

"No? And what if it were a _particular_ daughter of Athena? Just what playing piece might be lured inevitably onto the board if that child were to be put in danger?"

Hades eyes widened.

Apollo's smile widened as well. "I see you get it. So why don't you remind me: this prison we were talking about. What exactly was it _surrounded _by, again?"

Hades groaned. "You know what, nephew? Sometimes you really do take all the fun out of things."

Apollo put a hand to his heart. "Oh, I'm hurt you would say such a thing. But regardless, that wasn't the important fact I brought you out here to discuss."

Hades frowned. "Oh, and just what is it then?"

In response, the sun god snapped his fingers, and four celestial bronze chains erupted from the sands and wrapped themselves around Hades' limbs, dragging him to his knees in the sand.

"WHAT IS THIS OUTRAGE?" he bellowed, struggling in vain. Apollo's entire body was now glowing with blinding sunlight, the sand beneath his feet turning to glass as he walked.

He slowly strolled around the back of his chariot and popped the trunk. "The fact—and it's one that _everyone _seems to forget," he began with an ironic laugh. He drew out what appeared to be a celestial bronze baseball bat, which he twirled experimentally in his hand. "The fact…is that _nobody_ messes with my little sister. _Nobody._"

-A-

We gave the departed Huntress a moment of silence, and I turned to look over the bay. "We have to keep moving. Are you okay, Aren?"

She took a few steadying breaths. "I…I'll _be_ okay Armani. I'm happy for Zoë to be back at peace again, but what happens now?"

I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Now we follow my mother. Nico?"

"Y-yeah?" he asked as he walked over. He had remained silent throughout all of Zoë's final words, and was looking extremely solemn now.

"Take some ambrosia from my pack to heal your shoulder. I suppose I could use some too," I said, still trying not to aggravate the wound on the back of my leg.

"Right," he said, quietly obliging. We both consumed some of the divine food from my bag. The arrow fell free from his arm as the wound closed around it. I sighed in relief, the muscle and sinew knitting itself back together. I tested my leg gingerly and found I could stand normally again.

"Nico, do you think you can shadow travel all three of us to Alcatraz?"

He still seemed shaken, but seemed to steel himself. "I'll do my best," he said, retrieving his dark blade and sheathing it.

"That's the spirit. Are you ready to go, Aren?" I noticed she was staring at the arrow that had fallen from Nico's arm. She bent down and retrieved it.

I observed as she stared at it before turning to Nico.

"Listen, Nico…" she began after a moment. The dark half-blood froze, eyes flicking nervously to the arrow, as if he expected her to stab him with it. I was strangely offended by his low opinion of her character. "This would've killed me if you hadn't gotten in the way, so…thanks for that," she said, tossed the arrow to him, and walked to my side.

_I guess self-sacrifice is one way to prove yourself._

Nico didn't respond. He just nodded sheepishly as he pocketed the arrow and walked off into the shadows. "Let's go, then."

I nodded and turned to the encumbered titan. "Hey! Atlas!"

He glared at me angrily. "_What_?"

"I've decided to offer you some help."

His eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

I smiled. "_Sure! _Just remember...Lift with your legs."

He let out an indignant roar as I turned to walk away. "YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY? I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!"

"Sure, sure…"

"I'LL USE YOUR ENTRAILS FOR SANDWICH FILLINGS!"

"Yes, Atlas, all the entrails…"

"I'LL GRIND YOUR BONES TO MAKE MY BREAD!"

_Don't even dignify that with a response…_

"Are you ready, Nico?" I asked as I joined him and Aren in the shadows.

"Yeah, I've got a path ready; I'll get us there in just a sec…"

"What did Zoë mean, about you having to protect Lady Artemis' heart?"

I glanced up as the clouds began to clear. My eyes narrowed at a certain patch of night sky. "She meant it's not quite over yet…"

-A-

"Not quite over yet" was an understatement. We materialized out of the shadows to find all hell had quite literally broken loose.

I drew my sword instantly. Nico did likewise and Aren already had her dagger in hand.

"What?" Aren gasped.

Clarisse and Annabeth were fending off over a dozen very unpleasant-looking roman swordsmen. It wasn't so much fending as it was Clarisse batting away the advancing enemies with her spear and Annabeth jump kicking any who got through.

"Those are undead!" Nico shouted, running off to the girls' defense without a second's thought.

I sighed. "So impulsive. Into the fray then…coming, Aren?"

She nodded sharply and we dashed off in pursuit of Nico.

Nico skidded to a halt in front of Clarisse and swung his Stygian blade around in an arc. "Get back! I command you!" he roared. The armored undead recoiled from the blade and seemed to pause in confusion. "The son of Hades commands you to return to the Underworld!"

"Nico! Get back!" Clarisse shouted.

"Annabeth, just what in Hades—" I trailed off as I saw what was happening beyond the warriors advancing on us.

There in front of me was what looked like a tornado of flying bones and dust. Within the vortex I spied a small form leaping about, kicking skeletal forms into the air and slashing them into dust, dropping down and laying waste to even more targets. "…is that…"

"Nice to see you could join the party, Armani. Yes, Lady Artemis is fighting most of the enemy. They just swamped her and she…chose to fight back."

"What's going on?" I felt this question rather needed to be addressed.

"Bones, hundreds of them, buried and grown from blood. As many as Lady Artemis destroys, more just keep coming."

It was true. As I watched, lumbering forms were pulling themselves from the dirt around the sides of the courtyard. I even noticed that a lot of the bones in the growing pile of dust where my mother was fighting were rolling together and reassembling themselves.

"I dismiss you back to the Underworld!" Nico insisted.

The line of soldiers seemed to look at each other in confusion. I could've sworn they shrugged their shoulders, then leveled their blades and began advancing on Nico.

He staggered back a step and I watched as he tensed up with a scowl on his face. "You would disobey the Ghost King? So be it!" he shouted and stabbed his sword into the chest of the lead soldier. The zombie stared down at the blade then, without a sound, erupted into flames and was reduced to ash. "So that still works, at least." He turned his head to us. "Something else is controlling them! I've tried opening a fissure too, but something's got control of the whole area!"

The death of their comrade must've signaled a change in plans, as a huge number of the undead amassed around my mother suddenly changed their focus to us and began advancing in a huge semi-circle.

Clarisse grabbed Nico by the scruff of his neck and yanked him backwards to her side as we took up a defensive line.

"All right, Nico, you're the expert, how do you suggest we kill these things?" I asked.

"You could start by being a child of Hades…"

"Nico!"

"All right! Stygian iron."

I sighed. "And I left my stash back at camp. Anything _else?_"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of, short of just grinding them into pieces like Lady Artemis is doing."

Clarisse laughed. "Grinding sounds good. I like grinding."

Suddenly the line of enemy parted, and I saw what lay between. "Archers!"

A volley of dark arrows shot at our line from the undead bowmen.

Thankfully, as half-bloods, our battle reflexes saved us. We either dodged or batted the flying projectiles aside.

In that moment of distraction, however, we were set upon by the others.

Three soldiers dressed in medieval battle armor charged me. I dodged one and leapt up in time to kick away the other. I twirled once in mid-air and hit the other with a spinning backfist strike. His head dislodged from his shoulders and went skidding to the floor, and the rest of him went patting around looking for it.

A roman centurion managed to give me a shallow cut with a rusted short sword, and I had to leap back to avoid being mauled by an undead Bengal tiger, whom I decapitated by driving my sword up under its chin and leaping into the air to get free, taking the centurion's arm and then head off in the same motion.

I saw Clarisse out of my peripherals, fighting demonically, her brown hair flying wildly as she tore through her opponents with her spear.

Nico was slashing wildly with his Stygian blade. The enemy seemed to be doing their best to avoid him in particular, but some were taking chances at his sides and he already had a few painful-looking gashes.

Aren was fighting like a right little hellcat; she'd leap up, kick one in the face and slash open another opponent's head with her blade. I noticed her skin glowing menacingly as she viciously carved open her enemies.

Annabeth was fighting with cold, calculating grace; she'd wedge her sword in under her skeletal opponent's neck and cleave it off, then swing about and take off its limbs in a brilliant backhanded attack.

As brutally as we were fighting, and as much as my mother was keeping the majority of the enemy at bay, I noticed that even as she killed them more were coming out of the earth to fill the gap between her and us. There had to be at least a hundred now, a good portion lined up ready to fight us. We were being pushed back.

I glanced at the reflection in my sword; we were mere feet from the water's edge now.

Nico was kicked to the earth beside me, and as he staggered to his feet, a stream of blood running down his arm, I saw the spear hurtling through the air towards him.

I saw a flash of blonde hair, and for a second I thought Aren was the form that crashed into Nico's side and sent him clear out of the spear's path, but it wasn't.

Time seemed to freeze as the spear struck Annabeth in her right shoulder and sent her toppling into the dark waters of the bay behind us.

"Annabeth!" Clarisse roared. She clenched her teeth and, with a cry of rage, swung her spear around like a bat, sending a huge semi-circle of our opponents flying back through the air.

I turned to dive into the water, but then about twenty various skeletal beasts leaped over the heads of our opponents. Again time slowed as the hideous beasts hung in the air, about to rip us to shreds.

And they would have succeeded, had not the waters of the bay exploded up from behind me and batted them out of the air like insects.

_What?_

I rose back to my feet and looked behind me. A huge, serpent-like tendril of water hung in the air, and a second rose up to join it out of the murky waters.

I ducked reflexively as both lashed out and batted our opponent's lines like a pair of giant arms. Dozens of undead were sent flying back like rag dolls.

I glanced into the depths and backed up as a shimmering sphere of water began to rise up out from the surface. It rose up and hung in the air several meters above the water's surface.

I squinted, and saw what looked like Annabeth's form inside the bubble of water, along with… something else. A second later, the spear that had struck the daughter of Athena was tossed out from within and clattered to the ground next to me.

There was silence, a short pause, and then the waters around us simply erupted, missing us as if on intent, but crashing into the undead like a great river washing away a village.

_I get the feeling someone or something is very upset..._

The waters retreated, and _still_ undead climbed free of the now-sodden earth. But they had stopped fighting; they were paused, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly I heard a noise over the silence and swirling of water. It was…applause.

I noticed that my mother had stopped to stare—first at the hovering sphere of water, and then up at the source of the slow clapping.

I glanced up at the roof of the main building, where a figure in a black hooded cloak now stood silhouetted in the moonlight. He had hunting spear under his arm. Its head was pitch-black, and I immediately recognized the non-reflective surface as Stygian iron.

He stopped his slow clapping and took up his spear. "Very impressive show, all of you. But _you_..." he said, pointing his spear down. "...I don't believe I put _you_ on the guest list. What's your name, young half-blood?"

It took me a second to realize the figure wasn't speaking to us, but to the sphere of water behind us.

It lowered to the ground, and the water melted away, back to the ocean.

I saw Annabeth resting in the arms of an extremely furious half-blood with black hair. The waters swirled angrily around his feet. "I am the son of Poseidon! My _name_ is Percy Jackson!"

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] Ahh, who doesn't love a cliffhanger? Well I wont keep you hanging for long and I'll catch you all in Chapter 9: Heart


	9. Chapter 9: Heart

[A/N] Let's skip right to the fun…

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 9: Heart**

"Percy Jackson…" I mumbled.

_Now where have I heard that name before?_

I observed the half-blood, who was currently staring daggers at the cloaked form on the roof. Annabeth stirred slightly in his arms.

The blonde opened her eyes and stared wordlessly in shock at the face of the person holding her. He obviously felt it, as he turned his attention down to her and his eyes softened. "Hey there, Annabeth…"

Annabeth's eyes seemed to moisten slightly, and a trembling smile spread across her soaked features. "You're late, Seaweed Brain!"

He smiled slightly and brushed a saturated strand of hair from her face. "Sorry."

He lowered her down and rested her in his lap. It was only then that I noticed he himself was bone dry. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Annabeth pushed herself up with her uninjured arm. "I can still fight," she said in a strained voice.

He laughed gently and helped her to her feet. "I thought you'd say that, here," he said and pulled what looked like a half-eaten ambrosia flapjack from his jeans pocket.

Annabeth accepted it without question. She didn't really need to rush, as the entire battle seemed to have paused due to pitch invasion. How long until the ref blew his whistle and it restarted remained to be seen, however.

She tested her arm with a twirl of her dagger and smiled. "Thanks for the save," she said, planting a brief kiss on his lips.

The black-haired boy staggered. "Heh…any time…"

"So the great freakin' hero chooses to grace us with his presence," a female voice said sarcastically.

Percy inclined his head. "Nice to see you too, Clarisse."

"Nice entrance," Nico said grudgingly.

"Thanks, Nico, and…who are you?" He turned to Aren, frowning, as if trying to place her face.

She seemed guarded around him, like she was with most boys, but she seemed to be looking at him with an odd sort of respect. "Aren, Hunter of Artemis."

He frowned. "Really? Did you change your uniforms?" he asked, staring at the black hunter's attire I had loaned to her. In fact, I only noticed now that we were wearing matching outfits, and I suddenly felt oddly flustered for some reason.

She seemed to blush as well. "No! I'm just…borrowing this…" she muttered and turned away.

_Okay… Something's severely wrong here._

Then he turned his eyes to me and frowned again. "And…who are _you_?"

"Armani Dove, half-blood, amongst other things."

His eyes narrowed further. "You…you do know you're glowing, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, we all tend to do that."

He inclined his head. "Whose are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're really not up to date on current affairs, are you?"

He seemed to pout. "It's not my fault everyone leaves me out of the loop!" he snapped, and glared at Annabeth and Clarisse in particular, who turned guiltily away. Obviously there was some truth to his outburst.

I sighed. He deserved an answer, I guess. "My mom's standing right over there." I pointed my thumb over my shoulder.

He stared past me to my mother; his brow furrowed in confusion. His eyes settled on Annabeth, but then he shook his head slightly and focused on Clarisse for a second.

She seemed to read his gaze and glowered. "Just how old do you think I am, moron?"

He seemed utterly baffled. "But the only other one here is…" he nodded his head at my mother.

I rubbed my brow tiredly. "The eyes and features are usually a big clue, Mr. Jackson."

He glanced at me, then at my mother, then back again. He repeated this action several times. "But…that's _Artemis_!"

I inclined my head. "Correct."

"She's…your _mother_?"

"Also correct."

"But I thought Artemis was…you know…"

"She is." I really wasn't in the mood to elaborate.

"But you glow…like a Hunter."

"That would be because I _am_ a Hunter."

"But you're a guy, right?"

"Boy, you're _really_ on the ball today, Mr. Jackson."

His mouth opened and closed in an odd imitation of a goldfish. He turned in desperation to the daughter of Athena. "Annabeth, what's going on?"

She smiled weakly and rubbed her arm where, until recently, there had been a deep wound. "Long story, Percy. I'll fill you in later."

I nodded, glancing nervously at the figure on the roof. "I think that would be a good idea, our host seems to…hang on a minute…_Percy Jackson_?"

He nodded. "That's me"

I frowned as a dim memory drifted to light. "Didn't you…Steal Zeus' lightning bolt or something?"

His mouth dropped open. "That was-"

Clarisse interrupted suddenly, and seemed to be trying not to laugh. "He sure did, Armani! Kick his butt!"

I turned to him curiously and he seemed to flinch back, as if worried I might actually attack him. "Clarisse, seriously! That wasn't me, and that was _years _ago!"

I frowned. "What, you've done more?"

He blinked and seemed somewhat put out. "What? You never heard how I went on a quest and found the Golden Fleece?"

I blinked, thinking hard. "Hmm, nope…"

"Oh…what about when I helped save Artemis from Mount Orthrys? Did you hear about _that_?"

I shook my head mutely, but I _did_ vaguelyrecall Apollo mentioning something about Artemis going missing at one point. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to him at the time.

"Found Daedalus? Saved Camp Half-Blood?"

"Sorry…"

"Helped defeat Kronos, _saved the world_?"

"Must've been busy that day."

"_Oh__…_"

Clarisse scoffed. "What's the matter, great hero? Shocked that there's a half-blood who _doesn't w_ant your autograph?"

"No! I just thought…How can you miss an entire _war_?"

I glanced away. "I was probably doing math problems at the time."

He sighed drearily and drew a pen from his pocket. He flicked off the plastic cap, and it immediately grew into a three-foot-long bronze sword.

I blinked. "Pen sword…Impressive."

He smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, it was a gift from a friend."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Yeah, great, he's got a sword. Now, getting back to the _point,_ who's Mister Cliché-cloak-and-dagger up there?"

I frowned up at the shadowy form, who was drumming his fingers impatiently on the shaft of his spear. For an evil villainous type, he was oddly patient, but if he was who I _thought _he was, then that trait didn't surprise me much. It was simply necessary for a hunter.

I readied my blade. "I have a theory, but I'd rather not speak it just yet."

"Are you _quite_ finished?" the form sighed, his voice carrying oddly well, all things considered.

Clarisse inclined her head. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that, big guy. Why don't you come on down here so you and I can have a nice little _chat_?" she said through gritted teeth.

"No," said Percy darkly. "I'll take this guy." Something in his face told me that his fury at Annabeth's injury had just resurfaced.

Suddenly something occurred to me. "Ah-ha!"

Percy blinked, turning to me. "What?"

"Sorry, but Chiron mentioned something. I'm not so good at this kind of thing, but am I right in thinking that you're Annabeth's _certain someone_?" Now, this may seem like an odd thing to bring up at that moment, but for me the fact that I managed to guess it was so astounding it was a major personal victory.

He suddenly blushed and smiled, almost smugly. "I sure am."

Annabeth elbowed him. "_Percy! _There's a time and a place!"

"Hey, he asked!" He turned back to the figure on the roof, who I could swear was rubbing his brow tiredly. "Like I said," he muttered. "I'll take this guy." He was still smiling slightly at Annabeth, but the furious anger in his eyes was very much there.

The dark form chuckled. "Sorry, Son of Poseidon, but this isn't your fight." on that he drew a dark bow from inside his cloak and nocked an arrow. "It'd love to say it's nothing personal, but…" he pulled the string back and loosed the arrow at Percy. "…There's nothing about this whole thing that _isn't _personal!"

"Look out!" I shouted. The boy hadn't even budged; he was just staring at the shadowy form, and before I could move to push him aside, the arrow struck him.

I fully expected him to drop like a stone; the arrow had hit his heart perfectly. Shockingly, the arrowhead simply bounced clear off his chest, as if it had hit a solid wall.

_What! But he's not even wearing armor!_

The form on the roof glanced at his bow then back at Percy. "Well! That was unexpected. What…ah, I _see_, have you been taking a dip in strange waters, little half-blood?"

My eyes widened as the answer came to me.

_He's bathed in the River Styx_…_he's near enough invincible!_

Percy's eyes narrowed. "Maybe. Why don't you come find out?"

He laughed heartily. "Oh, I don't think so…but you're not truly invulnerable, are you? All I need to do is find that one sweet spot," he said. He banged his spear on the stone roof, and suddenly all the undead turned towards us, totally ignoring my mother. "Let's see how long it takes to find!"

"Wait!" I shouted.

The form seemed to pause. All the undead froze with him. "And what can I do for you?"

"Tell me; why did you leave the other shade behind at the remains of the Titan palace?"

All those who hadn't been there, even my mother, suddenly turned to me. "Another shade?" Annabeth asked. "What was it this time?"

I turned my eyes to my mother as I answered. "It was…Zoë Nightshade," I said sadly.

The goddess gave a shocked gasp and turned to me, fear and sorrow on her face. "Where is…what happened?" she asked, her quiet voice shaking.

I tried my best to smile, but I'm not sure I succeeded. "She's gone home."

She turned her now-misty silver eyes away, her hands clenched at her sides. "I see. _Zoë_…" she breathed. I couldn't comprehend the emotions flitting across her face as she stood in silence. I suddenly noticed that the others, with the exception of Clarisse, were standing in similar quiet. They were obviously also acquainted with the departed Huntress. Even the daughter of Ares was somber.

"Annabeth," Percy said. He sounded both emotional and confused. "What's he talking about?"

Annabeth gripped her dagger hilt tightly. "To put it simply, something's bringing back the dead, Percy, and setting them on _us._" He fell silent, absorbing the information.

"You haven't answered my question!" I shouted up angrily. "Why did you split up? Surely you'd have had better odds fighting us together!"

The cloaked form shrugged. "_Her_ task was merely to keep you occupied and away from here. It would seem she was not quite skilled enough to succeed in her secondary task of actually _killing _you…Pity."

That was the moment I understood. "This isn't about me at all, is it?"

He inclined his head, and although I couldn't see his face I knew he was smiling. "So, you're catching on, are you?"

"What are you talking about, Armani?" Nico asked.

I didn't take my eyes of the cloaked form as I spoke. "This was never about Hades trying to kill me as payback. He's getting payback against his _accuser_. This isn't about killing anyone; it's just about _hurting. _I was both the scorpion and Zoë's primary targets, but my possible death was intended, not as payback to me, but to my mother."

"You're very perceptive, has anyone ever said that?" the man asked.

I inclined my head. "It's been said, but the opposite has also been said, so I suppose it's only about certain things. But then, considering who _you_ are, you could only be here to hurt my mother, and in the worst possible way."

The form chuckled. "So, figured me out, did you?"

I rubbed my sinuses tiredly. "It wasn't exactly _difficult _to figure out."

"What are you talking about? Who _is_ he, Armani?" Clarisse asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He's the third shade, the final challenge. Scorpio, Zoë…_The Huntress_, rather…and now _him._"

Annabeth gasped. "You mean he's-" her grey eyes were wide with shock as the true horror of the situation dawned on her.

"His identity is irrelevant," my mother interrupted. She obviously hadn't been paying much attention to our conversation up until now, for which I was unspeakably grateful. "What _is_ relevant is that you are all that stands between me and my Hunters."

He inclined his head, "That's also true. But what beguiles me is what _you_ are doing here," he said, pointing his spear at Percy.

The half-blood in question smirked. "Let's just say I got an Iris-Message from my father."

Nico interrupted. "But I thought it was forbidden for a god to interfere directly in a quest?"

Percy nodded. "I guess it is, but my father only called me to ask how I was doing, and then Tyson appeared and my father suddenly started talking to _him _about all this_. _I guess he just forgot I was there."

_Skating on thin ice there, but I guess I owe Poseidon two now._

"And you came for me?" Annabeth asked.

Percy smiled sheepishly. "I've been trying to catch up with you since Nevada. Blackjack nearly died of exhaustion flying me to San Francisco at full speed. Pegasi may be mystical, but flying square across the country would tire even one of _them_ out. I asked him to drop me into the bay. The sea creatures have been watching what's been going on around here and they filled me in and, well, here I am."

"A touching tale of loyalty, I'm sure, but do you really think you can save them _all_, Percy Jackson?" he said and banged his spear once again. All the undead began marching on us again.

"I guess I'll just do what I always do, then," the half-blood replied, raising an arm.

"And what might that be?" the man on the roof called down over the sound of clattering weapons.

Percy smirked, "The best I can." He swung his arm down, and a huge tidal wave erupted from the bay behind us, scattering the skeletal foes away and washing them down into the waters. As soon as the area was washed clean, though, more foes began pulling themselves out of the ground. Percy groaned. "Oh, come on, how many of these guys _are_ there?"

"Artemis!" Nico shouted over the sound of the retreating waters. The goddess glanced back over her shoulder at the boy. "You've got to take him out _now_! He's controlling them all with his spear! If you take him down I can gain control of the entire area and just perform a dismissal!"

Artemis' head whipped back around to the shadowy form, who took a hesitant step backwards at the fury in the moon goddess' glare. "Is that all?" she said in a dark tone, and crouched down, readying a hunting blade in her right hand.

_She's got to kill him before she learns who he is!_

The goddess sprung up, leaping a good fifty feet into the air, until she was hanging in the sky just above the shade's head.

She spun around in the air, bringing her shining blade around to remove her opponent's head in one swing, but the shade was a lot more nimble than his rigid posture suggested. At the last instant, he leaned backwards, the dagger slicing through the neck of his cloak. As my mother's spin completed, she tore the garment away from him.

She had enough momentum left to take another swing, but she didn't. She had frozen dead in mid-air, staring disbelievingly at the form in front of her.

A strange silence filled the air, and I caught the six words he spoke to her as their gazes met in that second.

"So, would you kill me again?"

Gravity won out in the end, and my mother crashed unceremoniously into the paving below, having made no attempt to right herself mid-fall. She lay sprawled on the now-cracked pavement, staring wordlessly up at the man.

I looked at her face and noticed that her childlike features, normally gently tanned, had become almost unhealthily pale. Her eyes were filled with the same fear I had seen when I confronted her with the truth of my birth.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

I turned my gaze to the young man on the roof. He looked a little older than me, somewhere in his late teens. Taller than me also; he had to be around six feet in height. He had long, flowing brown hair and oddly gentle features. He wore what I can only describe as some kind of ancient Greek hunting gear that showed off his muscular stature. His Stygian iron spear hung loosely in his hand as he stared down at the fallen goddess.

"And…who are you?" Percy suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

I breathed a defeated sigh. "Percy. Who do you _think_ it is?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I've been totally left out of the loop on this one."

"Work it out: first we fought the giant scorpion; then we fought Zoë Nightshade, and now…" I waved my hand for him to finish.

He just mimicked the action. "_And now_?"

A pained groan escaped me.

_This guy saved the world?_

The man on the roof spoke up, his tone proud and deep. "I am the legendary hunter, who has returned from the stars to complete his final hunt! My name is Orion!"

Percy gasped; even he recognized the name it, would seem. "You're pulling my leg! You can't be him!" he shouted.

The man frowned. "_I am!_"

Percy cocked his head. "Oh yeah? Prove it!"

_Gods, now he's arguing with a dead guy…_

Orion rolled his eyes and did something odd…he posed. He raised his spear and turned to the side in the familiar posture of his constellation.

Percy nodded. "Yup. It's him, all right."

_THAT'S what you call a positive I.D?_

Orion leapt off the roof. He pressed his spear into the brickwork as he descended, a trail of sparks flying as he used it to slow his fall.

He landed gracefully and strode over to where my mother lay. She stared up at him, her expression nothing short of abject horror. He stopped and pointed his spear down at her.

"Lady Artemis!" Aren shouted and lunged forward. I grabbed her by the back of her tunic and dragged her back. "Let me go, Armani!" she demanded, struggling violently.

"_Don't!_ She can take care of herself; we have our own problems to deal with!" I hissed angrily in her ear. She reluctantly stopped struggling and took her place at my side.

"I've had enough of this!" Percy snapped, and he thrust a hand into the air. Five tendrils burst free from the water's surface, similar to the two he had used originally.

He crossed his hands over his chest, and the tentacles lashed out, batting aside the enemy undead with such force most shattered into fragments on impact. He swung a hand again and they began battering down at the points where the simplified beasts crawled out of the earth.

I suddenly noticed that with each swing of his arm his breathing was becoming more and more labored. A sheen of sweat was starting to form on his face; obviously he couldn't keep up his brutal assault for long.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked simply.

He gasped, "I'm okay, just getting warmed up…"

I narrowed my eyes at Orion, and then glanced at the currently deserted courtyard. It was time to take ownership of the situation. "Annabeth and Aren, I want you two to go ahead into the prison. Split up and find the Hunters; we may need backup."

Both opened their mouths to object, but I cut them off. "Whether I like it or not, this is my quest and I'm in charge. Percy, Clarisse and Nico will stay with me. I'll help them fend off any more enemies until I have to finish my task here."

"But I want to stay with you!" Aren objected. Then her eyes widened as she realized how it had come out. "…And Lady Artemis!" she added hastily, shaking her head in confusion.

I nodded. "I'd rather have you by my side, too, but you're a Hunter, and this is a big prison. You'll have the best chance of finding the others, and if they're locked up you might need Annabeth to figure out how to release them. Now _go_!"

Annabeth nodded. "It makes sense, let's go!" She paused and turned to Percy. "Be careful, Seaweed Brain," she whispered, kissing him one more time before turning and running off to the prison, Aren reluctantly following behind.

I watched as they skirted Orion. He didn't do much more than spare them a glance as they went.

"Not going to stop them?" I asked as I strode forwards. More of the undead were starting to pull free, and I swung my sword to decapitate a head that had emerged from the dirt by my leg.

He smirked, still staring at the frozen goddess. "They're of no importance. Neither is her dear little band of Hunters. All that matters is that you're here." He went silent as he continued to regard my mother. A small smile graced his features. "You look smaller than I remember." This statement was somewhat emphasized as my mother pushed herself to her feet and stood up to her full height, which was substantially smaller than the 6 foot shade.

"And you haven't changed at all," she responded in a small voice.

He inclined his head. "I'm back as you remember me…that is, how you remember me right before you _murdered me!_" His face melted into a snarl at that last part

"That wasn't my fault!" she objected weakly; I noticed golden tears were already glistening in her eyes.

"Is that so?" he asked through gritted teeth. Then he tore open his tunic over his chest.

I heard my mother give a pained sob at the sight. I squinted and saw what it was; a scar directly over his heart. "Look familiar?"

The goddess stared at the scar in horrified silence, her hands gripping her bow so tightly it appeared in danger of snapping.

"Armani?" Percy muttered. "What's going on between those two? And what's wrong with Artemis? Why doesn't she just_…_kill him?"

I didn't take my eyes off the two as I embedded my blade in a zombie policeman and bisected him upwards. "Don't you know the old tale about how Orion died?" I asked him.

He swung his sword and cleaved off the arm of an advancing undead Apache. "The scorpion killed him, didn't it?"

I shook my head. "That's the most widespread tale, but it's not what actually happened. The original tale goes—" I shoved away an undead cat that was chewing on my boot and continued. "-_goes_ that Orion was the only man my mother ever had… _affection _for. People say she was in danger, for the first time in all of history, of giving into temptation. The great scorpion was the first attempt the gods made to kill him, after he boasted he would hunt all the beasts in creation to win Artemis' heart. The day after he killed it, a certain someone concocted a second plan—" I paused again as three skeletal bears charged us, their flesh shimmering. A stream of water sent them flying before they could come down on me. "Thanks_._"

Percy inclined his head. "Don't mention it. But wait, are you saying _Artemis_ was in love? And what was this second plan?"

I didn't answer; I used the reprieve to turn my attention back to the conversation between the shade and the goddess.

"You _know_ it was an accident!" the goddess objected feebly, her voice breaking with each word. "My brother tricked me! You know I would have died before I did such a thing. You know I've always…You know I…" The end of the sentence refused to come out her mouth.

Orion's eyes narrowed. "You _what_?" he growled. "Say it!"

She stared at him wordlessly, tears flowing freely down her small face. "I _can__'__t_!_"_ she choked out in despair.

_Oh, gods…could this get any worse?_

Orion bared his teeth angrily, and with a roar of rage, tore his sword free from its scabbard and swung it at the goddess. "To Tartarus with you and with the rest of your accursed family, then!" he shouted, his eyes ablaze with rage and pain.

Thunder crashed violently overhead at his words, and the heavens opened in a sudden cloudburst.

_You had to say it, didn't you? _

I glanced up, blinking water feverishly out of my eyes. "Great."

Artemis had dodged at the last second, reflexively blocking with her hunting knife. Orion swung about and struck at her with a backhanded strike, which she also blocked. "If you ever felt anything for me, do not make me do this," she pleaded as Orion attacked her relentlessly.

"What's the matter? First through the heart, and now off with the _head_! Does it make any difference to you? Only _this_ time you can look right into my eyes when you strip my life away from me!" Orion shouted. He swung his sword with brilliant, deadly grace and power. My mother blocked each strike effortlessly, but didn't fight back.

_This could go on forever…_

"Mother!" I shouted and she glanced back over her shoulder. There was almost pleading despair in her face. "You have to send him back! If you want to help him, you _must_ send him back where he came from!"

For a moment, her eyes, bloodshot and brimming with golden tears, met mine. Her hand blocked Orion's blade without looking. After a moment, she gave a single solemn nod and swung around to attack the shade. Their blades clashed violently, sending a flash of sparks up into the air.

Orion staggered back as Artemis turned on him, readying her knife to strike.

Orion smirked. "So you've still got some of that old fire after all, do you?"

"What's up with his voice?" Clarisse asked as she levered a pair of undead soldiers over her head and into the water behind her. "Shouldn't he be speaking ancient Greek? Or at least be all _thee_s and _thou_s or something?"

_Valid point…_

"Nico?" I asked as the boy in question lashed out with his black sword. The two Roman troops he was fighting burst into flames.

He paused to catch his breath and glance at Orion. "My dad must've updated his vocabulary when he turned him into a shade. He's still Orion, but he shifted his style of speech the same way Olympus shifts with the heart of the west."

I guess that explained the ancient hunter's slight mid-western accent.

"What's your problem?" Orion roared as my mother knocked his blade aside once more. "Is _this_ the power of the great Huntress?" he demanded tauntingly.

It was true; she _was _fighting back, but if it was fighting at a level above Orion's then it wasn't noticeable.

My mother gritted her teeth and kicked Orion violently, sending him flying backwards.

He began to leap to his feet, but the goddess had already leapt sideways into the air. She brought her blade round in an arc, down towards his neck as she spun. I saw Orion's eyes widen as she brought down the death-strike that would end the shade's existence.

_It's over…_

"Artemis…" Orion breathed as the blade closed on his neck.

Then, in the millisecond before she was about to remove his head, my mother did the most absurd, impossible, inconceivable thing I could've possibly imagined.

She missed.

_What in the name of Hades' hand-basket?_

Her glinting blade missed by a fraction of a degree and skimmed the surface of his neck. Orion reacted instinctively. He swung his leg up and kneed the goddess brutally, knocking her out of the air and backwards into the earth.

She landed as if she hadn't felt the blow. Her eyes however, were staring at her right arm in fear and bewilderment, as if the appendage were something alien to her.

Then it occurred to me exactly what had just happened.

_She didn't miss. She hesitated._

Orion looked almost as stunned as Artemis. "Looks like your aim isn't quite what it used to be…" Judging by his tone, however, he barely believed his own words. He knew as well as I that that strike should've finished him.

Artemis glanced from her arm to Orion. "But I-…I didn't…" she looked back at the limb and shook her head in confusion.

"Gods…" I whispered in horror as the truth dawned. "She wasn't lying: she can't kill him!"

_There's only one thing for it, then…_

I clenched a fist in determination and turned to Percy, who was busy slicing up a zombie cougar as it vainly tried to claw open his indestructible skin. "Percy, despite the impertinence of this request, I need to ask you something."

He kicked the beast clear and drove his sword into its skull, "What is it?"

"I need you to end it, right now. Don't ask me how I might suggest you _do_ it, but all I know is I _can__'__t _keep fighting here."

He stared at me for a moment. I'm not sure how, but I think he understood me. "All right, leave it to me. I didn't want to do this before because it'd take everything I had and I wasn't sure it would work. I'm not sure I have enough left to do this, but I'll do my best…"

Nico backed up to us as he repelled more of his foes. "What's up, what are you gonna do?"

Percy stood up to full height and closed his eyes. He took several deep breaths, each one sounding oddly like a wave crashing on a beach, then opened his eyes and smashed his hands to the ground. The tendrils of water sharpened themselves into points and slammed into the earth at various places around the courtyard.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then I watched as he gritted his teeth, straining, and the earth beneath us suddenly started trembling violently.

He tore his hands up from the ground, and in front of us the entire courtyard exploded upwards in a torrent of raging water. It swirled about in a huge contained mass in the air, like someone had lifted the contents of a swimming pool and suspended it above the ground.

Within the mass were bone fragments, a lot of dirt, and various pieces of debris.

Percy was gasping for breath as he clasped his hands together. I had to assume he had just increased the water pressure to some unimaginable degree, as the mass of water suddenly imploded, the contents exploding into dust within.

The half-blood swung his arms behind himself and the water shot down the incline and back into the river, taking the remnants of its contents with it.

I had to consciously close my mouth.

"Wow…" was all I could come out with after a moment.

I heard a weak laugh. "Yeah… Not bad, am…I…" Percy's voice trailed off as he abruptly collapsed forwards in exhaustion. Clarisse managed to catch him before he could land face-first in the sodden soil.

I turned immediately to check on the collapsed son of Poseidon. "Is he-?"

Clarisse answered, "Pfft, no such luck, he'll be fine. He's gonna have to rest for a few days, but he should be okay."

I turned forwards to face my mother and Orion through the rain. Both had stopped their fight for a moment; a disturbance that big was difficult to ignore.

I didn't take my eyes off the shade as I spoke. "Right… Clarisse, take Percy inside to the others. Nico, go with her."

"But what about you?" he objected.

"Yeah, we can take this freak together," Clarisse spoke up.

I shook my head, still staring at Orion. "No… Zoë was right. I need to do this alone. No one else can be here when this ends. Please understand me."

Nico opened his mouth to object, but I think Clarisse got my meaning. Her eyes drifted to my mother for a second and she swung Percy unceremoniously over her shoulder. "Let's go, short stuff, time to get out of the rain. This ain't our fight anymore."

Nico stared at me for a moment, obviously trying to think up another objection, then nodded mutely and followed Clarisse into the prison.

"Nico, wait," I said after a moment's hesitation, and the half-blood paused. "…I need to borrow your sword."

He stared at me silently for a second but didn't object; he simply unsheathed it and tossed it nimbly through the air. I caught the grey hilt in my right hand and tossed my own sword to him in return. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Good luck."

I brushed a rain-soaked braid out of my eye as I watched the pair retreat into the building. I breathed a dreary sigh as I began striding up towards the goddess and the shade. "Busy day…"

-A-

I stopped by my mother's side. Orion regarded me, then the torn-up earth around us. "You know, you really did spoil my fun with that."

I raised an eyebrow. "You made it rain, we're even."

He smirked. "I suppose I did. Seems the gods are as ego-driven as ever." Another rumble of thunder sounded at his words, but it just made his smile widen. "What exactly is it you want, young half-blood?"

"I want to know what it is you're planning. What's your _real_ motivation?"

My mother was silent with sorrow as Orion sneered at her. "She shot me through the heart in more ways than one. Now I intend to get vengeance. Your death would've been nice, telling her how I _really_ feel about her would've been even better, and then there was the icing on the cake."

I gritted my teeth angrily. "And that is?"

He kicked the base of his Stygian spear with his heel and flipped it up into his hand. "My final revenge; to take away the rest of those she loves."

"The Hunters…"

Orion smiled unpleasantly. "I'm simply going to crack open a nice big hole to Tartarus with this here spear, and suck the entire island down, Hunters and all."

I swallowed and said in a flat voice, "_Lest the followers of the Eternal Virgin, into darkness shall fall._" I shook my head. "How very neat."

He cocked his head. "Isn't it just? Now then, my dear, shall we recommence?"

My mother's body tensed up like a cat as she clenched her blade. She glared furiously at the shade, but her eyes were filled with tears. With the threat he'd just made, I knew that she would obliterate him instinctively…but I couldn't let her do that.

"Mom…" I said quietly and the small goddess froze. She glanced around at me as I raised Nico's sword. "…Get out of the way."

"I told you, Armani, I do not need anyone to-"

"-fight your battles, yes, I recall the conversation. But this time I'm not here to fight your battles… I'm here to save you, just like you saved me."

"Armani…" she choked.

My eyes softened. "Mother…step aside. It's time for me to end it."

The rain washed the golden streaks of her tears away, but more formed as she stared at me. After what seemed like an eternity, she lowered her blade and stepped back behind me.

I turned my full attention to Orion, who stared down at me with a merciless smirk on his face.

_Great, now you've done it. You just **had** to be a hero, didn't you?_

I told my instincts to shut up in no uncertain terms as Orion erupted in hearty laughter. "_You_? _You _would face me, boy? Just who do you think you are?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and told him in a level tone, "My name is Armani Dove. I am the immaculate son and Hunter of Artemis. But none of that is of any importance right now. In fact, if you have a shred of hunter's instinct in that overconfident skull of yours, there should be only one thing about me that concerns you right now."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Just this: I am your enemy." I swung the black iron blade with lightning speed. Orion skidded back at the last second; he got a nice horizontal slice across his tunic as a symbol of how close to defeat he had come.

He raised his blade as he glanced down at the cut, "Well, I'll be, this might just be interesting after all." on that he swung his blade. I guarded easily, but he pushed me back at least a foot. I was staggered to find that his strength had to be at least equivalent to Zoë Nightshade's, which should have been impossible. Zoë was half-Titan, not to mention a Hunter. As far as I knew, the legend of Orion didn't even state he was a _half-blood, _but even if he was there was no way he should be that strong.

_That would be why he calls himself the legendary hunter._

Orion laughed and kicked under my guard, sending me staggering back. I dug my heels in and sprang forwards, slashing at his upper chest, but his guard was already up.

"Not bad, Armani. Your strength makes good your name as the child of Artemis, but do you _really_ think you can beat me?" He emphasized this statement by slamming a fist into my lower chest.

I gritted my teeth and bore the pain as I grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked him toward me, head-butting him so violently my vision filled with spots.

He recoiled in pain, cradling the shattered nose which would no doubt heal in seconds.

I elbowed him sideways in the gut and struck upwards with a vicious vertical punch, which caught him under the jaw. As he fell backwards, I leapt forwards and brought my blade down to stab into his chest, but without looking, he swung his own blade around and diverted the point of my sword into the earth behind him.

As I swung around to get my guard back up he flipped himself onto his feet, bringing his blade back to bear on me. His nose had already healed, the blood turning into ash in mid-drip.

He cocked his head. "Perhaps I underestimated you."

I inclined my head back. "Yeah, that happens a lot. It's a shame, really," I said, rubbing my gut with my free hand.

He frowned. "What is?"

I laughed ironically. "I've never told this to another soul in all my life, but you were always my idol. As I grew up hearing the old stories of the legendary heroes, it was always _you_ I admired the most."

He laughed boisterously again. "Well I'll be, are you sure you don't want to pine after old Hercules, boy?"

I scoffed. "Please, he was a self-serving egotist. You, on the other hand, are merely an egotist. Plus, do you grow up hearing about the _Constellation of Hercules_?"

He smirked. "I suppose I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

"Was it not enough?"

His face froze. "Was what?"

"What you won in the end, and the place you attained in the heavens for all eternity."

His face darkened. "I won _nothing_ in the end."

I felt immensely sad that even a_ shade_ of him couldn't see it. "If you believe that, I guess you really are nothing but a shadow."

"Enough of this! Let _you_ be the first slaughter of my hunt!"

As he lunged at me, I swerved to the side and stamped on the base of his spear as his back was turned. I dodged as he swung his sword, missing my throat but giving me a nasty nick on my shoulder as a consolation prize.

He leaned backwards and elbowed me; again I bore the pain, but it turned out that simply causing pain wasn't his intention as his hand flipped around and he grabbed hold of my upper arm.

He smashed down on the small of my arm with the pommel of his sword as he held me. Once, twice, and then the inevitable happened: I dropped my sword.

As the iron blade fell, he kicked it out of the air and sent it flying across the courtyard.

Before I could react, I felt the point of his blade pressing into my jugular. All it would take was one sudden move of his hand…

Lightning flashed, illuminating the victorious glint in his otherwise dull brown eyes. "Think it's about time to join the fun, don't you Artemis? Or will your heart hurt as much as mine when I slice open your son's throat?"

I glanced past Orion at the goddess who had poised herself to attack, and then down at what was embedded in the earth behind him. I couldn't help a smirk forming at the corner of my mouth.

I noticed Orion's proud brow knit into a scowl. "Something amuses you?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's just…you forgot the first rule of the hunt!" My eyes turned dark as I finished. "…Always know your surroundings…lest they be used against you."

I answered his confused frown by forcing his blade aside with my bare hand, slicing it badly in the process. Then I thrust my shoulder into him with all my strength.

He lost his balance and staggered. His mass worked against him as his ankle was forced backwards…

…Right into the slightly upturned point of his own Stygian iron spear.

He gasped in shock as I completed my attack and hit him with a final roundhouse kick. The force snapped the spearhead clean off the shaft and pushed the point right up to the broad, deep into his calf muscle.

_It's over…_

"Argh!" he gasped in pain as he staggered to maintain his balance. Suddenly the look in his eyes changed from pain to confusion. "Oh!" he collapsed forwards in shock as the injury took hold. I reached to catch him, but suddenly a silver blur shot past me and caught the falling hunter.

For a second I didn't recognize the newcomer. When I did, my heart skipped an almost fatal number of beats.

It was my mother; and I'm not even sure if she knew she had done it, but she had changed her personified form.

She was bigger, at least my height now. Her short ponytail was now a long, flowing braid that reached the small of her back and coiled around her waist. She was no longer pre-adolescent. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say she was a little older than me, and possibly a year younger than Orion appeared to be.

I backed away immediately to a respectful distance. My job was done.

As my mother lowered the hunter to the ground, I watched as his eyes cleared and a small smile spread across his face. He let out a weak sigh. "Ahh, _there _you are…" His voice was weak; obviously Zoë's power as a half-blood and a Hunter had given her a little more clarity in the end. I doubted the fallen hunter had as much time.

A tentative smile spread across my mother's face, but her eyes wet with tears. "Yes, my brave hunter. It is I."

Orion smiled. "I've missed you, my Lady…"

The goddess nodded. "And I you, more than you can know."

His smile widened. "I must apologize, for it would appear I have been bested," he said, lifting his leg slightly. "Sorry."

Her lip trembled and she sobbed loudly. "_I'm_ sorry!"

Orion cocked his head. "Whatever for?" he asked, brushing a golden tear off her cheek.

"It was my fault! If I had only been more suspicious of-"

Orion cut her off, pressing a finger gently to her lips. "Know that I never blamed you, Artemis. If anything, it was my own fault…My own hubris caused my downfall." His smile softened. "Forget hunting all the beasts on earth. I dared hunt the most unattainable thing in all creation…the heart of the fairest maiden of all, whose beauty outshines that of Aphrodite herself."

My mother choked out a laugh. "Your tongue is as silver as ever…"

He inclined his head. "It is indeed a curse, my love…"

My eyes widened at the term, and I noticed my mother squeeze his hand tightly. The way she gasped for a breath told me those were words no other had dared say to her for thousands of years.

She cupped the fallen hunter's cheek and stared into his eyes in silence. Then, after a moment she whispered something…three words that I shall not repeat.

As she leaned slowly toward Orion, I averted my eyes to regard the unforgiving storm that continued to rage above. For a moment, I stared in silence at the dark sky, the rain streaming down my face.

When I turned back, my mother was alone again.

Again I had no words, no smart comments, no witty remarks. I had nothing to say. I merely strode forwards and dropped down, taking the lonely goddess into my arms as she wept.

_To be continued…_

-XA-

[A/N] I shall see you all in our final chapter:

Chapter 10: Aftermath


	10. Chapter 10: Aftermath

[A/N] And thus we come to the concluding chapter of our little saga, I thank you for sticking with us thus far and hope you've had as much fun reading as I did writing. And so we continue…

**Shadows of the Hunt**

**Chapter 10: Aftermath**

There is something fundamentally upsetting about seeing your mother cry. It hurts in a place I can't quite put my finger on.

I'm not sure how long I sat there with the goddess' small form in my arms as she wept in the rain, but I know I shed many of my own tears, in sympathy for the deity who surrounded herself with so many companions, and yet still seemed so very much alone...

Her sobs abated after a while, and I noticed that we were sitting in the center of a single calm spot in the storm. I glanced up to find a circle in the clouds above our heads, the moonlight shining down upon us.

I held her in respectful silence, keeping her warm as she knelt on the cold ground. I didn't want to speak first.

"I'm okay…" she whispered after a moment. She was still gripping tightly to the front of my tunic.

I melted away from her and offered her an arm to assist her to her feet. Her face was a mask of composure once again, although I suspected that's all it was: a mask.

I sighed and brushed myself down reflexively. This helped little, as I was soaking wet. "You want to go, don't you?" It wasn't a question.

She nodded slightly. "I… do not wish to be seen in this state. You can understand, can you not?"

I nodded and smiled as best I could. It was obvious she was retaining her composure for my sake, and the vast majority of her emotions were still waiting to be vented. That could only be done in her immortal state. Her body was already starting to shimmer with contained light. "Of course. I'll tell the others you had to report back to Olympus about what's happened. I'll bring the Hunters there as soon as I can."

She nodded and I turned away. "Armani…"

I paused, but didn't turn back. "Yes, mother?"

"Thank you." There was a flash of light from behind me, and then I was alone. The only sound in the quiet courtyard was the patter of the rain, splashing in the puddles formed in the upturned earth.

I stood in silence for a moment and then, after collecting Nico's blade, headed for the prison doors.

I stopped dead as I noticed something, lying forgotten in the rain. It was Orion's spear. I considered leaving it, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to abandon it there. I walked over, picked up the shade's weapon, and walked towards the prison. It was time to wrap things up.

-A-

Alcatraz is quite a big place, so I wasn't surprised to find the half-bloods had split up to search the various prison blocks. Percy was currently sleeping like a baby in the entryway office; obviously it would take some time for him to recover. It also didn't help that most of the blocks were sealed, and sound didn't carry, else we'd have just shouted out for the Hunters and solved the problem in a few seconds.

I joined Nico to assist with his search and return his sword to him. I found the demigod in the process of trying to force a large barred door.

"Here," I said, offering his blade back. He jumped, startled.

"Armani! What happened? Orion, is he-"

I nodded. "It's over." I didn't elaborate and Nico didn't ask questions. He just seemed happy to have his own sword back. I retrieved my own from him and sheathed it.

Once his sword was in his hand, his eyes seemed to go out of focus, and he melted clean through the shadows at the base of the doorway.

I shrugged. "I suppose that's one way to do it…"

There was a sound of sliding bolts on the other side of the door, and a second later it swung inwards. Nico stood with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Looks like that's how Orion did it; locked the place up and shadow travelled out. But lookie what I found…" He beckoned me inside.

-A-

It was a large twin row of cells on two stories. There was a long bar of dark metal running along the base of each line of cells; Stygian iron.

_That must be what's been obscuring Iris' vision; she couldn't see through the darkness it makes._

But that wasn't what was of primary concern. What interested me most were the contents of the cells.

Dispersed in groups of two, with a cell's gap between them—most likely to stop them combining their strength to force the bars—were the Hunters of Artemis.

Thalia, who had been lying on her back on the bed of her cell, leapt to her feet and grasped the bars. She had just opened her mouth to speak when a voice dripping with smug enjoyment interrupted from behind me. "Well, well, well… _Where _do I begin?" Nico asked, his arms folded as he stood between the rows of cells. "Armani, I know I shouldn't be enjoying this, but I confess I really am…"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Thalia. "Is everyone all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we're fine; the only one who's missing is Aren, do you have any idea—"

I began glancing around, looking for some kind of lock mechanism. "She's with us. I wouldn't worry; we beat the bad guys, all over now. I just need to find out how to get you out of here…"

Thalia slumped forwards against the bars as she breathed a sigh of relief. "We were attacked by…It looked like…" she trailed off.

I paused. "Let me guess…Zoë Nightshade?" Her silence confirmed it. "It was…well, it was a shade of her, anyways. The other guy was Orion, by the way. Like I said; I wouldn't worry, they're back in the sky where they belong," I summed up as I continued looking for a way to free them.

"Where is Lady Artemis?" the large Huntress who was sharing Thalia's cell asked. "Is she with you?"

I sighed. "Do you really think he would be so smug right now if my mother were here?" I asked, stabbing a thumb over my shoulder at Nico, who was happily rocking on the balls of his heels behind me. "I'll go into detail later, let's see If I can open these things," I said and headed off towards a control junction at the end of the block. I yanked open the steel cover to find most of the wires had been torn out into a jumble. Obviously Orion had been taking no chances, but if I could pick a lock and hotwire a motorcycle I was reasonably confident I could trip this simple circuit, since it was sort of a splice of both skills.

Needless to say, Apollo had given me a very eclectic education.

"Hey, Armani?" Nico called from his position between the cells.

"Hmm?" I mumbled as I began twisting wires together.

"You know what's _nice_?" he asked in a voice that was obviously meant to be heard by all.

"What?"

"That when the elite, legendary Hunters of Artemis get _captured_ by two dead people and a bug, there are always two good old reliable _boys_ to _rescue_ them! Isn't that _nice_?"

I groaned, sensing the building indignation from the amassed Huntresses. "Nico, if you're going to gloat outrageously, kindly leave me out of it."

"Of course, of course. You must save these _damsels in distress _before they start crying."

"Nico," Thalia began in a low tone, "You _are_ aware I'm going to be out of here in a moment, right?" It wasn't a question.

I saw him turn to me out of my peripheral vision and when he spoke again, his voice was rich with delight. "Armani, you know what? This trip was _totally_ worth it. And as for you, Thalia…how can you hurt what was never even here?" And on that the son of Hades vanished into the shadows, his laughter echoing through the prison hallways.

I cocked my head as I went back to work. "Well, at least _he's_ happy…"

_Guilty one indeed…_

The Hunters were glaring daggers at the place Nico had recently occupied. The large Hunter who shared Thalia's cell spoke over the angry mutters of her sisters. "Armani, who else is here?"

"Annabeth Chase and Clarisse la Rue from camp, and Aren, of course. Oh, and Percy Jackson, a son of Poseidon, managed to get in on the action too." I hissed angrily as two wires sparked violently as I connected them.

"Wow, sounds like we missed out on all the fun."

I nodded. "Yeah, the giant scorpion was a hoot and a half. The army of the undead was fun too. _Damn it!_" I cursed as I nearly electrocuted myself again. It was like spaghetti junction in there.

"Armani? Maybe you should get Annabeth to have a look, she's good with that sort of thing," Thalia warned.

"Nonsense. Architecture and inventions may be her thing, but I assure you, locks are mine. Perhaps I was a son of Hermes in a previous life," I said as I used a small pocket knife to complete the circuit in place of the lever that had been torn off. There was a series of angry crackles, and a violent shunting noise came up from all around as the bolts were simultaneously released. I stood back and sighed happily. "See? Nothing to it," I said as the cells opened, releasing the Hunters.

Thalia strode out and stretched. "Thanks, Armani."

I smiled in response, but the grin melted a second later. "Just glad you're okay. Now, if you'll forgive my bluntness: what the _hell_, Thalia?"

Her face froze and she blinked in shock. "What?"

Any hint of joviality was gone from my face. "My mother will no doubt be happy to see you; so happy she won't even think of questioning what's happened. I, on the other hand am not so forgiving." Thalia's face fell as she saw where I was going. "Nico may have been in bad taste, but he raises a very good point. How _did_ two shades manage to incapacitate every single one of you? You were in command at the time; that makes it your responsibility."

"Now, wait just a minute!" the big girl behind her objected.

Thalia shook her head. "No, he's right, Phoebe, I should have seen it coming."

I sighed. "Well?"

She seemed unable to speak. Then another Hunter, a girl with cropped black hair who was small even by their standards and appeared no more than ten, said in a small voice, "But…it was Zoë…"

I glanced back at Thalia, who nodded mutely. "Walked in and gassed you all, huh? I guess Orion took care of Aren personally, then." She just nodded again, and I sighed. It's not like I enjoyed scolding people, but if it stopped something like this happening again… "Just… If you see any more walking dead, be on your toes, okay? To be honest I'm just glad you're all okay."

Thalia smiled weakly. "Thanks, Armani." Suddenly her eyes narrowed at me. "Was Lady Artemis injured?" she asked sharply.

I frowned. "No, why?"

She pointed at my tunic. "It's just…that looks like…"

I glanced down at my chest and suddenly realized it was splattered with small golden stains. I placed a hand over the marks. "That's…not her blood," I said, glancing away.

I saw her narrow her piercing eyes at me. "If it's not her blood, then what…" she trailed off as she caught the look on my face, and I think she worked it out. She was silent for a moment. "Orion, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So…what happened?" she asked in a quiet voice. All the others looked equally solemn.

I smiled weakly; my mother's still-wet tears seemed to burn. "I don't know…I guess I wasn't paying attention."

She nodded; I think she knew that I couldn't repeat what I had heard, especially not to them. She had to be strong for her subordinates, and I sure as heck wasn't going to be the one to undermine her image. "Time to leave," I said, and headed off for the cell block entrance. The Hunters followed respectfully after a few seconds.

Annabeth greeted Thalia as enthusiastically as she had last time, with substantially more tears, having again swept the lieutenant into a bear hug upon seeing her.

"Hey, now Annabeth, I'm _fine,_" the girl reassured her, but hugged she her back just as tightly. Then she turned to Aren, who was cheerfully greeting her sisters. "And I'm glad you're okay, too. Why is it that you always manage to get into twice as much trouble as the rest of…_what_ are you wearing?" she asked with a frown, and the little blonde suddenly froze.

"Just borrowing it…" she muttered in a small voice.

I cocked my head. "Come now, I think she looks quite good in my colors," I said and patted her on the head, causing her face to turn the most adorable shade of pink.

_Wait…ADORABLE?_

I took a calming breath and clasped my hands firmly behind my back. "Okay, troops, we need to be making tracks. How far from Olympus are we?"

Thalia pointed out of the window. "It's a few thousand miles that way."

I frowned in thought as I walked towards the main entryway, the Hunters at my heels. "You know, Annabeth, if you ever change your mind, the invitation's always open," Thalia said after a moment.

Clarisse walked up, the slumbering form of Percy slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. There was an oddly goofy smile on his sleeping face. Annabeth laughed and smiled warmly at the sleeping boy. "Sorry, Thalia, but Artemis usually goes for girls before they've forgotten themselves. I'm afraid that I've well and truly forgotten myself."

Thalia gave her friend a gentle one-armed hug. "Good for you, Annabeth."

I opened the doors and my frown deepened. The mist and Mist were fading, and now a new issue arose. "So…anyone got any ideas how we get off this rock?"

Thalia hummed. "I don't know. We could wait for the Coast Guard and then hit them with the Mist, but we don't know when they might come to check on this place."

Clarisse sighed. "So now what, we have to escape from Alcatraz?"

"Shame Percy's out; I'm sure he could just pull a Moses and make us a path to the mainland," Thalia observed.

Suddenly another option occurred to me; it wasn't one I found particularly appealing, but it would solve the issues of both how to get off this island and how to get to New York.

I gave a defeated sigh and pulled a golden coin from my bag. I lit an external spotlight, yanked a water pipe off the wall, and aimed it into the light, creating a rainbow.

_Someone's going to have to fix that pipe, you know…_

"Who are you gonna call?" Annabeth asked.

_Don't say it! Don't you _dare_ say it! You will not sink down to THAT pop culture reference!_

I bit back a Ghostbusters remark, and was about to flick the coin into the spray when a familiar face suddenly materialized in it. She squinted her multi-colored eyes at me. Once satisfied, she nodded. "Ahh, there you are young…uhh…" she trailed off as if trying to remember something.

My eyes narrowed at the goddess. "_Man! _Young _man_!" I barked indignantly at the ironically short-sighted deity.

"Yes, yes, now I remember. That would've been my first guess, I promise."

I groaned drearily. "Just what can I do for you, Lady Iris?"

She smiled happily. "You'll never guess…"

I raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll try. Have you miraculously managed to locate the Hunters, by any chance?"

Iris pouted. "Aww, how'd you know? I wanted to help out!"

I sidestepped out of the way. "Because they're standing right here."

Iris reached into the pockets of the fluffy rainbow-colored nightgown she was wearing (which looked odd when combined with her ever-present headset) and withdrew a small pair of oval glasses. She wiped the lenses and put them on. "Oh! It's so nice to see you all okay. I've been up all night looking. Poor Arty seemed in such a kafuffle over the whole thing last time I saw her!"

I nodded and smiled slightly. "That's very kind of you, Lady Iris, and I don't mean to keep you up any longer, but I need one last favor."

Iris nodded. "Okay, but you know the fee."

I sighed and flicked the golden coin up into the image. I would've said the usual chant too, had the drachma not passed right into the image and hit the goddess square between the eyes. With a cry of panic Iris lost her balance and fell backwards out of the shot.

_Oh… cripes…_

"Way to go, Armani," Clarisse muttered from behind me.

"Smooth," Thalia agreed.

"Iris! Oh, gods, I'm sorry, I really didn't think that would…" I trailed off as Iris stood up, looking very unhappy. She straightened her glasses and rubbed a small red mark on her forehead.

"That was mean," she said, sniffling as she massaged her head.

"Sorry," I repeated sheepishly.

"It's not nice having people throw coins at you all day, you know! I'm not good at catching things!"

"I can imagine…look, I'm really sorry, if there's any way I can make up for-"

Iris pursed her lips and waved a hand to cut me off. "No, no, it's not the first time it's happened and it probably won't be the last. Tribute is tribute, I suppose. What can I do for you?"

I felt bad for the rainbow goddess' lot in life, but I had to deal with my current situation. I turned to the Hunters. "I apologize in advance, girls." Thalia opened her mouth, but I cut her off as I spoke to Iris. "Lady Iris. Please show me my uncle, the sun god Apollo."

Iris' eyes widened. "Umm, are you _sure_? I mean, I don't normally-"

"I thought you carried messages to the gods all the time?"

"Well, I _do_, but just rarely from…_y'know._"

I knew what she was getting at. If half-bloods could IM the gods whenever they wanted, they'd have no time to perform their actual divine duties. "Trust me, Lady Iris; I'm sure he'll make an exception. Just tell him his beloved nephew is calling in a favor."

Iris cocked her head and leaned off screen as if typing something. "Okay, then…It's your drachma and your life, I suppose." Then Iris' image disappeared. The night air was then suddenly filled with what sounded like a badly taped recording of Beethoven's fifth symphony.

"What's going on?" Aren asked, glancing up at the rainbow spray.

I inclined my head. "I think we're on hold."

A second later the image shimmered and was replaced by a familiar face. Apollo sat dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a white t-shirt. He was lying back against the hood of his chariot, which was in red Mazarati form, hanging suspended in the night sky. His eyes flicked from me to the Hunters and my fellow half-bloods, and then settled back on me. A small smile spread across his face. "Well, well, well, and how's my favorite nephew doing?"

I sighed; he obviously wanted to go through our usual routine. "Technically…"

He cut me off, as expected. "…_Technically_ you're my only nephew, yeah, I know. Can't you just take a compliment?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Usually not, since you'd want one in return, regardless of sincerity."

"_Well_?" he asked, grinning his usual blinding smile.

I sighed and hastily looked him up and down. "Nice, umm, _baseball bat?_" I offered. The piece of equipment actually looked somewhat dented, as if he'd been smashing it off a brick wall.

He smiled and twirled the dented weapon in his hand above his head. "Isn't it? I was just finished using it," he said, leaning back and tossing the bat through the open chariot window. "Now what can I do you for?"

I took a breath, steadying myself. "I need a favor."

"So Iris said; and here I thought we were even when I voted for you back on Olympus."

"That incident is irrelevant," I said levelly.

Apollo frowned. "Huh? How so? I saved your _life,_ Armani."

"And you would have done it anyway. And I didn't _ask _you to do it as a favor; I merely said that I did you one and you saved me of your own volition. Besides, like I said, you would have done it anyway."

Apollo raised a golden eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What makes you think that?"

I sighed. "Because the god of prophecy is as predictable as he is adept at predicting."

"I am not predictable!"

"You're as predictable as the sun rising every morning. That was a pun, in case you didn't catch it, by the way." I was being sarcastic, but, as usual, he didn't notice.

"I know it was! But as I see it, I owe you nothing," he said, folding his arms.

I knew he was going to help anyways; I think he just likes arguing with me. "Then you can help me as an apology."

"I've done nothing I need to apologize to you for!"

Then I said the three words that won the argument. "_High School Musical_."

Apollo averted his eyes, blushing, and scratched his chin. "Yeah… Sorry 'bout that." He groaned, sounding defeated. "Alright then, what is it you want?"

This was the part the Hunters probably wouldn't like. "We need a lift."

"Hah!" Apollo scoffed. "That all?"

I inclined my head.

Apollo spread his arms wide, a broad smile on his face. "Your wish is my command…" he snapped his fingers and the engine roared to life. A shaft of sunlight suddenly pierced through the clouds above us, and the Iris-image faded.

I rolled my eyes as the chariot descended into the courtyard, the sun god standing smugly on the hood with his arms spread wide, like an annoying cocky angel.

"Somebody call for a ride?" he called, ignoring the disgruntled mutterings from behind me.

"Sorry about this, girls; he's the best I could do at such short notice," I mumbled to the Hunters. Suddenly I noticed Thalia had turned deathly pale.

"Hey, now! What do you mean 'the best you could do'? There's nothing that beats travelling by Sun Chariot, eh, Thalia?" he said, winking at the Huntress. She merely yelped something unintelligible in response. "Aww, you're as adorable as ever, and how is Annabeth doing?" the god asked, flashing his usual smile.

I noticed Annabeth blush despite herself. "I'm fine, Apollo."

He turned to Clarisse next. "And the legendary daughter of Ares. It's true what they say, then; you're as beautiful as you are lethal."

I rolled my eyes.

_Gods! He's going for a clean sweep; we'll be here all night!_

Clarisse flicked a lock of her hair out of her face in a nonchalant way. "Y…yeah, whatever."

"Thanks for coming so quickly, Apollo" Annabeth said, composing herself.

"He didn't come quickly at all!" I exclaimed, frustrated. I narrowed my eyes at my uncle. "Just how long were you sitting up there _waiting_ for me to call you?"

Apollo smirked. "I had a feeling you might need me, so I rushed here right after taking care of some business,"

I cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Business? What kind of business?"

He glanced inside his chariot and back, and smiled wistfully again. "Nothing you need to worry yourself about, Armani. Now then…" he shouted and slapped the side of his chariot. It morphed, to my horror, into a school bus painted like a hippie's VW van, ban the bomb symbol and all. "All aboard the _Love Bus_!"

_It's either this or swimming…_

I glanced at the murky waters, and then back at Apollo's chariot.

_Tough call._

_-A-_

"Let's get this over with," I sighed, and strode off towards the celestial vehicle. Apollo plonked himself down in the driver's seat while I pushed my way through the hanging beads that covered the door and sat down in one of the rear seats.

The Hunters followed with extreme trepidation and filled up the seats from the back, keeping as far away from the deity as possible.

"Fine! Leave me all by myself! We're gonna have loads of fun, right, Annabeth?"

Annabeth froze as she passed and nervously sat down in the seat across from Apollo. "S-sure." She didn't seem to be paying much attention to my uncle; she was more focused on Thalia. Annabeth was leading the lieutenant by the hand. Thalia didn't look like she could walk much further; she was pale and her legs were quaking.

_For a daughter of Zeus and the lieutenant of Artemis to be in such a state, something must be seriously traumatizing her…_

"Oh, and what's wrong with you, Mr. Jackson?" Apollo asked the unconscious form slung over Clarisse's shoulder as she passed.

"Who, him? Idiot went and pushed himself too far; he'll probably be out for days."

"Nonsense!" Apollo said, and he snapped his fingers in front of Percy's face. The boy stirred and instantly regained consciousness.

He blinked as his eyes focused, and stared disbelievingly at the god. "You're upside down…" he muttered.

Clarisse rolled her eyes and let go of the son of Poseidon, dropping him square onto his head in a heap at the Sun god's feet.

"Howdy cuz'!" Apollo said happily down at the sprawled out half-blood.

"Hey, Apollo…" Percy mumbled out through his shirt. He untangled himself and leapt to his feet, glancing around. "Where… What?"

"We won! We're heading back; Apollo's giving us a lift!" I shouted from my position on the back seat. The Hunters had mostly settled into their seats, and all of them looked decidedly unhappy to be aboard. I didn't blame them.

Percy stared at me for a moment, and then at Annabeth and the others. "Oh hi, Thalia!" he said to the pale huntress, who was currently gripping Annabeth's arm like a lifeline.

"Yu-huh…"

"So! Percy, how's about I grant you that request?" Apollo asked cheekily.

Percy looked at him for a moment, confused, and then his face suddenly brightened. "You mean it?"

Apollo winked. "Sure!"

_Oh gods, tell me he's not going to let him…_

Apollo shuffled out of the driver's seat and stood in the aisle. "Take a seat, Percy! Tonight is the night you fly the sun chariot clear across the US of A!"

"Please _no_…" I thought I heard Thalia whimper in despair.

Apollo just waved her dismay off happily. "Oh, hush now, Thalia, you did fine your first time, remember?"

Thalia didn't reply but judging by the pained yelp Annabeth let out, her grip must've suddenly tightened to echo her trauma. The whimpers of terror from most of the surrounding Hunters didn't boost my confidence much.

"Now Percy, have you ever driven something like this before?"

"A bus? No, but how tough can it be?"

"That's the spirit! Now remember, this is night flying, so no lights."

Percy nodded and started the ignition. The engine roared to life beneath us.

_Easy on the gas, please, easy on the gas!_

The engine roared louder than the enraged Atlas as Percy floored the accelerator and the chariot shot off into the sky, evaporating a good portion of the bay's water in the process.

I would've spared the Naiads a moment's thought had the sudden takeoff not sent Apollo flying backwards down the aisle. I suddenly found myself with a face full of sun god.

_Ouch…_

Apollo was heavier than his slender frame suggested. "Sorry 'bout that, nephew," he muttered as he pushed himself off me and began clawing his way back up the aisle, using the backs of the seats as levers. "Level us out! Level us out!"

I sucked in a breath of air. "Are you okay?" Aren asked from her place in the seat to my left.

"Y-yeah, it's not the first time he's body-slammed me, but usually- hmm?" I paused as I noticed an item rolling its way up the aisle.

I bent down to pick it up, and realized it was Apollo's bronze baseball bat.

As Apollo tried to teach Percy the finer points of flying, I examined the bat. It was littered with small dents and I only noticed now the wet trail it had made as it rolled up the aisle. I touched the bat and examined the wet substance. It was slightly viscous and…gold?

_Is that…ichor?_

"What's that?" Aren asked.

I frowned and turned the bat about in my hand. "Apollo's bat, and either he cut his hand very badly whilst swinging it, or…"

"Or what?"

I suddenly noticed a large dent in the front. It was bigger than the others and looked almost amusingly like the side of-

Suddenly it struck me. My jaw fell open as I recognized what—or, more to the point, _who__—_the indentation resembled.

_Oh, he DIDN'T!_

I gulped nervously as I glanced at the deceptively jolly sun god. Few knew that, as carefree and bumbling as he usually was, Apollo had a temper as burning and unforgiving as the sun he governed.

"Armani?" Aren pressed. I had fallen silent, staring at Apollo.

"It's nothing, Aren…" I said, and rolled the bat back down the aisle. It bumped into the back of Apollo's white Nike.

He turned and stared down at it. As he bent down to retrieve it, he caught my stare and simply looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face. After a moment, he gave a small smirk and stood up, sliding the bat under the front seat in the process.

"I guess it's true what he says," I said to Aren.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"_No one_ messes with his sister."

"_Uh huh__…_" The small huntress mumbled. I turned my head to find hers resting on my shoulder as she snoozed.

_It's been a long day for us all, I suppose…_

I pushed down the affectionate feelings welling up in me as I stared at her, and nudged my shoulder up slightly. Aren blinked and sat bolt upright. "W-what?"

"I didn't say anything," I said, staring straight ahead.

"Mmhmm…" she mumbled and moved to rest her head down again.

"Aren…" I said.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

She yawned slightly. "I was just…" suddenly her eyes widened in shock, and she scrambled to sit up again. Her green eyes locked with mine in disbelief and borderline horror. "I- I don't know…"

"Aren," I began, grasping her hand, "if I kissed you, would you object?" I whispered, still staring into her eyes.

Her face turned the deepest shade of red I could imagine possible. "I… "She paused, her breath coming in short bursts."No…do you…_want_ to?"

I frowned, and sat back. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." I went silent for a moment, then continued, "And therein lies our problem."

We both turned back to the front. I was glad the other Hunters were busy chatting amongst themselves and not paying us any attention. Aren spoke up after a moment. "I don't understand…I've never felt like this before."

"Nor have I. All I know is…" My voice was serious, and I squeezed her hand reassuringly, causing her to gasp in shock. "…I need to speak to Aphrodite as soon as possible."

Aren blinked and turned back to me. "What do you mean?"

"I'm suffering from the lingering after-effects of Aphrodite's power. As you know, she tried to force me to feel love; some of that power was left over when I awoke, and since you were the first person I locked eyes with, it created some sort of messed-up love spell effect."

Aren's eyes widened. "You mean…" she paused and glanced around to make sure no one was listening in. "…We're under Aphrodite's power?"

I inclined my head. "I bloody well hope so. Although I don't think she even intended this to happen. Like I said, it's some kind of lingering after-effect."

"You mean it's temporary?" There was an odd edge in her voice that I couldn't quite decipher. "And what do you mean you _hope_ you're under Aphrodite's power?" she demanded with a pout.

I smiled. "I mean there's always the horrifying possibility that we've taken absolute leave of our senses and genuinely fallen in love with one another."

Aren stared at me wordlessly, and her small face suddenly creased into a grin. Before I could blink she had dissolved into fits of laughter. "T-that would be… _really_ bad!" she said between gasps.

"_Horrible_!" I agreed, laughing as well. The other Hunters looking at us oddly, as if we'd gone quite mad.

_And they're probably right…_

I sighed. "Anyways, I figure it best I get Aphrodite to take back her power before we… _slip._"

"You really think she will?" she asked in a small voice, obviously scared her sisters would overhear that she was susceptible to the L word.

I inclined my head, "I don't know…" To be honest, I sincerely doubted it, but I felt it would be in bad taste to actually admit the fact.

She fell into silence from there on, which I was grateful for. The other Hunters, I noticed, seemed to be shooting glances at me as they spoke. The large one—Phoebe, Thalia had called her-seemed to switch from suspicious, to curious, to awed and back again, like she couldn't quite be sure what to make of me.

For the first time, I realized how thankful I was that my mother hadn't asked me to join her Hunt. Don't get me wrong, I had the utmost respect for her Huntresses, but there was still an air of confused and unintentional animosity between us. It was understandable; I suppose I took some getting used to. The only ones who seemed comfortable around me were Thalia, Steff and Aren (the latter _uncomfortably_ comfortable). And, to be honest, I still wasn't good in large groups. Put me in a small group of five or six and I'm fine, but drop me in close quarters with a couple of dozen others and I just feel like I'm suffocating. I suppose I still had a ways to go.

I left Aren with Steff, to our mutual relief, and joined Apollo at the front of the chariot.

-A-

"What's wrong?" the god asked without turning around as I slumped down into a chair behind him.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" I muttered, leaning against the glass and staring out over the clouds below.

I saw Apollo cock his head out of the corner of my eye. "You reflexively hide your thoughts when something's weighing on your mind; you probably do it even when there aren't even any gods about."

I shrugged. "Maybe…"

"You used to tell me everything," he said melancholically.

I raised an eyebrow. "Just which Armani Dove do you remember living with? I barely spoke to you at all!"

"You're _really_ not going to tell me what's beating you, are you?"

I decided to evade the subject of my unwanted feelings. "Whatever's beating me can't be half as bad as the beating you issued with that _bat_ earlier on tonight."

Apollo went silent for a moment. "Are you implying I've done something wrong?"

I inclined my head. "Not at all. I'm sure _whoever it was_ had it coming."

The temperature in the bus suddenly went up a few notches. "Let's just say I issued a reprimand for bad behavior."

I could tell he was trying hard to keep his cool, so I dropped it.

"You just totally dodged my question, didn't you?" he asked after a moment's silence.

I didn't respond, but then Clarisse interrupted the conversation.

"All right, I've got a question…"

"Go right ahead, my dear," Apollo said, flashing her a smile.

"It's just, you didn't grow up with any parents or anything, yeah?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Correct, what about it?"

"And Apollo was the one who found you…"

I nodded. "That's right."

"And then he dropped you at some orphanage, right?"

I wondered where she was going with this. "Also true, what's your point?"

"It's just, if all that's true, then who gave you your name?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but suddenly realized I had no clue. My brow creased into a frown.

_Now that's a very good question_.

I found it odd that it had never occurred to me until now. After all, to me I'd always just been _me_. I'd always classed my name as something of no more value than a thing used to confirm someone was addressing me.

"Apollo?" I asked

"You really want to know? You want to know the tale of your name?"

Percy turned his head around. "I want to know too, you've gotten me all curious now."

_Why do I get the feeling I probably won't like what I'm about to hear?_

"_Well__…_" Apollo began and leaned against one of the seat rests. "I realized when I was getting dressed for the interview down at the orphanage to drop you off that they might just want to know what to call you."

I frowned. "You think? Wait, then what had you called me up until then?"

"Well, it had only been a day, so I'd just called you…well… Little Baby."

I rolled my eyes. "Typical. Anyway, go on."

"_Anyway_, I also had to decide what to wear for the thing, but then I realized since I _always _look fantastic I was fine with just what I was wearing, which just so happened to be…"

I smacked myself on the forehead. "Oh, gods, don't tell me…"

Apollo smiled. "That's right; my favorite white Armani tux!"

"And what about the Dove bit?" Clarisse asked, oblivious to my torment.

"Well, I thought that up while I was brushing my teeth with my favorite brand of Olympian toothpaste; Dove brand ultra-white!"

I groaned painfully from behind my hands. "So let me get this straight; the clothes on your back, and your toothpaste?"

Apollo rubbed his chin, suddenly seeming nervous. Maybe he was afraid I'd tell his sister how he'd named her only child. "Umm, _kinda_, yeah…"

"With all due respect, uncle, you suck."

Apollo's eyes narrowed dangerously at me. "Remind me why I haven't destroyed you yet."

"Beats me, but there are times when I really wish you would…"

-A-

By the time we had reached the eastern coast, Percy had pretty much gotten the hang of piloting the chariot and seemed to be having the time of his life. Although his occasional attempts to show off his skills to Annabeth had caused some near-fatal accidents, he was doing oddly well for someone who by all rights shouldn't really be up in the sky at all. I knew firsthand what happens to half-bloods who stray too far in to Zeus' domain. It usually involves said deity taking pot shots at you with lightning bolts.

To Percy's disappointment, and everyone else's overwhelming relief, Apollo took the wheel as we began to cross over New York City. "Sorry Percy, but I think it's best if I handle the landing. Don't think I could explain it to dad if you crashed us into Olympus."

I watched as the sun god steered us up into the skies above the Empire State Building. "Uncle, forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't Zeus forbid you from landing directly on Mount Olympus?"

Apollo waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure dad won't mind just this once. Honestly, you singe a few sacred trees, knock over a statue and reduce just a _couple_ of temples to ashes, and you're paying for it for centuries. Father can be so unfair sometimes."

Apollo skidded the bus to a halt on the plateau just outside of the main temple. The landing was perfectly sound, although he did leave a few black tire marks in the otherwise pristine marble surface. "End of the line, people! Time to disembark," he said, hitting the door control. Percy got off first, since he was closest to the door. He was followed by Thalia, who couldn't seem to get off quick enough.

Both ran headlong into the waiting form of Zeus.

-A-

It must've been like hitting a brick wall, as both bounced clear off the sky god's chest and landed square on their backsides.

Lightning crackled up and down his blue suit as his eyes burned into the fallen son of Poseidon. I watched as a blue bolt of energy formed in his hand. "So! Intruding upon my dominion _again,_ Son of Poseidon? That was the last time you will make _that_ mistake."

Percy gave what can only be described as a panicked '_eep_' as Zeus raised his lightning bolt. Apollo poked his head off the bus. "Ahh, _technically,_ dad, he was in _my_ domain. You know, inside the sun chariot and all is _my _place, and it's up to me who gets in and out."

Zeus hesitated; Apollo was right, of course, but then he angrily turned his bolt on the sun god. "Then why don't you tell me, son, just _what_ you think you're doing by daring to land in this place?"

Apollo stepped off the bus, oblivious to the danger, it seemed. "Oh, come on dad, I was just doing a favor for my sis. She's had a really tough day, you know? I thought it'd be nice to get her band of buddies back to her ASAP."

Zeus gritted his teeth in frustration, then clenched his fist and the bolt disappeared. He angrily swung about and marched back into the temple. "Just get that _thing_ off my mountain!"

_Score one for playing the old Daddy's Girl card…_

Apollo sighed. Once he made sure everyone was off his chariot, he snapped his fingers, causing the vehicle to transform back into its red sports car form. The engine revved and the vehicle shot off into the night sky of its own accord, leaving a pair of flaming tire tracks behind.

Apollo winced as he eyed the scorched marble. "If anyone asks, I didn't do it."

"Didn't do _what_?" A female voice spoke up.

Apollo nearly jumped out his t-shirt and swung about to find Athena standing behind us with her arms folded. She was tapping her foot and had a very disapproving look on her face as she eyed the damaged architecture. "I'll fix it…" Apollo said, looking for all the world like a scolded schoolboy.

"See that you do; but first I need you to go and fetch Artemis from the Gardens of Solitude, she'll be needed at the meeting. You go with him, Armani."

Apollo frowned. "The Gardens of Solitude? What's she doing there? It's so…" he waved a hand, as if searching for the word.

Athena raised an eyebrow. "_Solitary_?"

"_Yeah__…_What's up with that?"

Athena sighed. "Just go. She's been there ever since she got back, but it's about time for her to come out."

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Apollo was already dragging me away by my elbow, leaving the others in the capable hands of the battle goddess. Once we were out of earshot I asked him, "What? You just do everything she asks?"

Apollo sighed. "Armani, when I'm around here, I have a saying: 'Don't question the scary owl lady'. It's just not worth the trouble; she has this nasty habit of always being right."

I frowned at him. "Noted, but just for the record, _you_ called her the scary owl lady, not me."

We walked in silence; we didn't need to speak to know that we both knew there was more to Athena's request than simply fetching my mother.

-A-

The Gardens of Solitude were pretty much exactly what they said on the tin; as soon as you passed through the pair of short columns on their boundary, the droning hustle and bustle of Mount Olympus simply vanished, replaced by the sound of running water and the chirping of the various exotic birds that lived there.

We found Artemis sitting in silence on a stone bench overlooking the small stream at the end of the garden. The little goddess sat deep in thought as she stared into the running water. Neither of us approached her, but it was Apollo who broke the silence. "Hey, sis. Dad's called the council together; it's time to go."

Artemis remained silent for a moment. Then she said, without moving, "Understood."

Apollo looked oddly solemn as he stared at his sister's back. There was a strange look on his face; I could swear it was regret. He turned and walked off, but paused on the edge of the garden. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry. It may have taken a while for me to say it, but there you go. I also want to say that those eight hundred and fifty seven years, seven months, eighteen days, twelve hours, thirty-four minutes and twelve seconds were the most painful in all my existence. I'll see you inside, Artemis…" and with that he was gone.

I exhaled a breath that sounded strangely loud in the garden's silence, strode over and sat down next to my mother. I mirrored her poise unconsciously and stared into the water with her. "Did Apollo just say he was wrong?" I asked after a moment.

"Hmph. Only took him two and a half thousand years to say it," she replied bitterly.

"What was all that eight hundred and… umm… something years bit?"

"That was how long I didn't talk to him for after he…" she trailed off and went silent again

I instantly caught her meaning. "Ah_…_" I went silent too, but I had to ask. "Did he ever say _why_ he tricked you into, you know, doing what you did?"

"He said it was for my own good and that of _the order._" She practically spat the last two words out. "For how many centuries was it that he protested that he had done the right thing?" It obviously wasn't a question.

"It would seem even gods aren't perfect, no offence."

She inclined her head. "None taken…"

We were silent for another moment. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Were you ever, you know, _tempted_?"

She paused, as if pondering how to answer. "I don't know…" I blinked; it was rare for a god to ever utter those words. "…But I do know that Orion was the closest anyone had ever brought me to it. I was a…different person, so to speak, back then."

I smiled. "Perhaps Apollo was, too."

Artemis scoffed again, "He's never changed"

"I'm not so sure. I think maybe his hiding me from you was, in a perverse way, him trying to make up for what he did."

She frowned. "In what way?"

"I think he saw a risk that you _would_ actually kill me. In a way, it was him probably trying to show he could do the opposite of what he did with you and Orion, despite how much of an opposition to _the order_ I might have been," I said, air quoting those two words.

"Perhaps. This is the first time he's actually _apologized_ for anything, too."

I smiled ironically. "Two firsts in one sentence. I'm surprised the fabric of reality didn't tear itself apart."

The ghost of a smile tweaked her lips. "Indeed."

I sighed. "Look, mom, it's not my place to make observations about the gods, but-"

"-It's never stopped you before," she interrupted.

I laughed. "Guilty, but seriously, Apollo does love you. Even what he did back then was a twisted, over-protective way of showing it. The return of Orion probably hurt him because he knew how much it would hurt you." At that I reached over my shoulder and into my bag. "Here, I have something for you."

She frowned. "What?"

"Something to show you that, whilst you may feel alone in that area of your heart, there are always others who will lend you a supporting hand if you ever need it," I said as I withdrew the item.

Artemis took the dented bronze item I had stolen from the chariot and eyed it curiously. "What's this?"

I nodded at it. "That would be the bat Apollo used to express his…_dissatisfaction_ with the current situation," I said, and twirled the bat around in my mother's hand until the largest dent was facing her. "Look like anyone you know?"

Her silver eyes widened in shock as she recognized the side profile that had been almost perfectly impressed into the bronze surface. It was the face of Hades. "Brother…" she whispered.

"I wouldn't worry about retaliation. If Hades _does _strike back, then he'd have to admit what he did, and then I'm sure Zeus would just see it as knock for knock." Suddenly another question occurred to me. "What were they, by the way?" I asked.

"What were what?" she mumbled, staring at the bat.

"The first words you said to him after all those years. I'm just curious."

She clenched her hands around the object and paused to think. "I had sworn to myself not to speak to him for a thousand years after what he had done..."

"Then why stop at such an arbitrary number?"

Artemis sighed. "He wouldn't get out of my way in the hallway one day. He just stood there, playing his lyre and dancing around in circles like a fool."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying your first words to him after eight centuries were-"

"As I recall...'Get out of my way, you bumbling buffoon'."She frowned and twirled the bat again in her hands as if still remembering. "Unfortunately it had the opposite effect, as he hugged me for two straight hours, then spent the next three weeks sobbing tears of joy and singing my name from the rooftops…It was most embarrassing."

I smiled. "Sounds like something Apollo would do."

A smile spread across her small face. "Yes, wasn't it just?"I'm not sure what went through her head in that second, but she suddenly stood up. She ran a hand over the bat, and it fixed itself, with the exception of that one indentation. Then she turned to stroll out of the garden. "I'm going to join the others. I will expect you there shortly."

"May I just ask one thing else? While we're here, that is."She paused and I took it as a cue to proceed. "Back at Alcatraz, you couldn't say…certain things whilst the others were there-"

Artemis cut me off. "-and you want to know why I could show that side of myself whilst _you_ were there?"

I nodded my head. "Pretty much."

She paused to consider it. "I suppose I could only show that part of me when no one was around but myself."

I frowned. "But I was there…"

She smiled a small mysterious smile. "Don't be silly, Armani. You were once a part of me, after all, and you still are to this day." And then she was gone, leaving me alone in the garden.

_Huh… Moms are weird…_

-A-

I found my fellow half-bloods waiting in the throne room. Annabeth and Percy were holding hands, and I couldn't help but notice the scowl on Athena's face as she stared at the pair. Something told me they weren't quite as oblivious to her discomfort as one might think. The fear in Percy's eyes and the intense determination in Annabeth's, combined with the death grip she had on his palm, were sort of giveaways.

Clarisse and Thalia had obviously already presented themselves, as they were already standing at attention to the side of the other two.

As for the gods, I was glad the room was mostly empty, but it wasn't entirely. Poseidon was still there; he obviously hadn't finished his remodeling. Athena, of course, was there too, along with my mother and Apollo. The only other throne occupied was Ares', who was glaring at Percy with undisguised loathing.

Zeus sat waiting for me to approach, and so I presented myself as before. "Great Lord Zeus" I said, dropping to a knee before him. He nodded his acknowledgement and I turned and bowed to my mother, "Honored mother." Artemis inclined her head, and I finished the introductions, "Lords and Ladies of your respected dominions… And you too, Lord Apollo."

"He- _oh_… Yes, yes of course…"

I turned back to Zeus. "I have returned, as requested, and very much alive."

Zeus nodded. "Indeed, you have proven yourself, and your companions deserve equal praise for their endeavors." He stared at Thalia. "I am moved to see you well, daughter. I was most distressed to hear of your disappearance."

_I guess that explains the storm over San Francisco._

Thalia blinked. "Y-yes, thank you, father."

He turned to his other daughter, the twenty-foot-tall one in the throne. "And you, Artemis?" How fare you?" he asked, a definite note of concern in his voice.

Artemis inclined her head curtly. "I am quite alright, father, thank you for your concern."

Zeus nodded gravely and turned back to us. "To business. Armani Dove, you have proven yourself well, both to the council and in matters I am personally grateful for," he said, his stormy eyes flicking to my mother and back again.

I bowed. "I merely did my duty, sir."

"Indeed you did, and therefore you may retain your powers as an immortal Hunter, and carry on your existence unmolested."

"Thank you, sir." Needless to say, when Zeus just says 'well done, now you can go' _without_ adding on a threat of destruction or ominous warning, it was something to be thankful for.

His eyes turned to Percy. "What are you doing here, Perseus Jackson? This was _not_ your quest."

Percy held his head high; he was a brave one, I'll hand him that. "I didn't interfere as part of the quest, just as a half-blood helping his…" he paused and gave Annabeth a sidelong glance, "…_friends._" Athena scoffed in disgust from her throne.

"Why, yes, son, how _did_ you come to know of this quest?" Poseidon asked. The innocence in his tone was almost mocking.

Zeus rolled his eyes. "Please, brother, you are as transparent as the waters you love so much."

"Why, whatever do you mean, Zeus? I told _Percy_ nothing of this quest!"

_I'm really starting to like that guy…_

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" Ares demanded, and I saw Clarisse flinch.

"Father?"

"Saved by that boy _again_?" he spat angrily.

To her credit, Clarisse didn't back down a step, she just smirked back at him. "_Please_, the enemy just got lucky _he_ got to them before I did. They should've been sending you prayers of thanks for what happened."

Ares scowl froze and he merely nodded mutely in response.

_Good answer…_

I glanced at a certain vacant throne and couldn't keep a small smirk from playing on the corner of my lips. "Why, my Lord Zeus, I cannot help but notice Lady Aphrodite is absent. I do hope nothing has befallen her."

Ares gripped the arms of his throne angrily. "You little-"

"Problem, Ares?" Artemis suddenly asked. She had materialized a small pair of scissors and was proceeding to trim her already immaculate nails. She stared at him and then _snipped_ them closed.

Ares winced, for some reason. "No, nothing, it's all good." Then he did the oddest thing; he crossed his legs, almost protectively, and swerved away in this throne.

_I obviously missed something here…_

"I have not seen Aphrodite for some days now," Zeus responded. "And I am loath to ask, especially after what happened last time…but as you are the victorious hero…" he paused, as if really not wanting to ask me. "…Are there any more questions?"

"Armani…" Thalia said warningly.

I waved off her concern. "No, my lord. That will be quite enough for one day, if I might be excused?"

Zeus nodded again. "You and your companions are dismissed."

There was a collected sigh of relief but, as we turned around to leave, the oddest thing happened. A rainbow seemed to appear out of midair in front of us.

_What?_

The multicolored stream spread out, shimmered and formed into a solid image. Within it stood a young man. I would've taken him for a normal mortal had I not noticed the horns growing out of the top of his brown hair.

_A satyr?_

The others were obviously acquainted, as Percy suddenly shouted happily, "Grover! It's been months, dude, where've you been?"

The satyr blinked in shock, but he seemed happy, too. "Percy? What are you doing there?" His eyes flicked from person to person and his shock level rose a notch with every face. "Annabeth, Clarisse…and _Thalia_?"

Now it was Percy who looked confused. "Wait, you weren't calling me?"

Grover shook his head. "The guys at camp were right, I was missing out on something big! They wouldn't say what since they were afraid I'd go rushing off trying to help. What's going on, Percy?"

Percy grinned. "I'll explain as soon as we meet up. Did you say you were at camp?"

Grover nodded. "Yes, that's why I'm calling. It's not actually you I was after, Percy. It's _him._" he nodded at me and I blinked.

I glanced about. "_Me_?"

Grover nodded. "Armani Dove, right?"

I narrowed my eyes. "That's me…"

Suddenly the small satyr seemed to do his best to go all formal on me. "A matter of the greatest importance has been brought to my attention. It is requested by myself and the Interim Woodland Council that you return immediately to Camp Half-Blood so that it can be addressed."

_Another summons?_

I clenched a fist at my side. "Yeah? And what if I refuse?"

Grover rolled his eyes. "Sweet Zeus, don't do this to me. I just-"

"Sweet WHO?" a giant voice boomed from behind me.

_Oh, snap, forgot about him_.

Grover frowned and tried to lean left and right to see past me. "What was that?"

I gave an exasperated sigh and sidestepped out of the way, revealing the giant forms of the gods to the image of the satyr.

The sound he let out can only be described as something halfway between a goat's cry and a yelp of terror, something along the lines of _BLAH-HA-HA-HA!_ "L-Lord Zeus! I swear I didn't mean to interrupt!" Zeus didn't say anything, but he narrowed his eyes and, in the image, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground a few feet behind the satyr, sizzling his behind slightly.

After leaping about eight feet in the air, he waved a hand in front of the image in a desperate attempt to dissipate it. "I should really, _really_ go! Just remember, Camp Half-Blood, woodland council!"

I groaned painfully and rubbed my sinuses. "I suppose I'd best go see what he was on about…"

Suddenly my mother spoke up. "If I may be excused also, father, it is time I rejoined my Hunters."

"Of course."

Artemis shimmered and returned to her regular size as she stood up. The baseball bat, which had been out of sight before, due to her tremendous size, was now clearly visible under her arm.

Apollo obviously saw it, and he was about to speak when the goddess cut him off. "Brother…" she began as she walked away, "…Thanks." And then she was gone, leaving an utterly flabbergasted sun god in her wake.

-A-

The Hunters, I gathered, would be remaining with my mother on Olympus for a while before returning to their eternal hunt. I was about to bid my mother farewell halfway up the mountain when I caught a familiar scent on the wind; a sickly-sweet scent that was terrifyingly unmistakable.

"Mother, may I borrow Aren for a moment?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"I can't say," I said, glancing anxiously at the surrounding Hunters, "but it's important."

The goddess stared at Aren, who was shuffling her feet nervously, then back at me. She nodded her head after a moment, and Aren took a place at my side as I forged down the hill.

"What's going on?" she whispered as we strode swiftly down the steps.

I waited until we rounded a bend and were out of sight before answering, "She's here…"

Aren frowned. "Who?" she asked as we reached the elevator.

_The scent stops here._

I reached out and hit the call button. "Take a guess."

The elevator must've already been at this floor, as the doors opened immediately.

Aren reflexively went for her knife upon seeing the occupant, but I grabbed her arm and she froze, still tense as a tiger ready to strike.

Aphrodite stood leaning against the wall for support. Her appearance stunned me. "I wouldn't worry, Aren, I don't think she's here to make trouble." The love goddess merely averted her eyes in shame. Her right arm was in a sling. She was wearing a loose-fitting dress and I could see bandages wrapped around her midsection beneath. She also had another bandage across the right side of her temple and a nasty cut down the side of her face, which seemed to be healing as I looked at it.

This was a goddess that wouldn't be seen in public if she had so much as a single split end. For her to be out in such a state must have been utterly unheard of. She looked absolutely pitiful.

"I thought all gods on Olympus _had _to answer the call to the council when it sounded."

Aphrodite didn't look up. She just shrugged, the effort causing her to wince. "I never left the elevator…"

_Seems gods spend most of their time trying to circumvent their own rules._

"I just want to talk," she said after a moment. "Please, I don't want to be seen like this…" In that instant I actually felt sorry for her, in spite of all she had done to me.

"Very well."

Aren grabbed my arm. "Armani, you can't, what if she-"

"-I have to risk it, for your sake _and_ for mine."

Her hand slipped away and she followed me inside.

I pushed the next floor down on the control panel and the elevator began its swift descent to the top mortal floor. Aphrodite spoke in a quiet voice over the elevator music. "It's not supposed to hurt…"

I turned. "Excuse me?"

She wasn't meeting my eyes. "Love does hurt, but it's not supposed to hurt like that."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, it _did_ hurt. You _did _hurt me, Aphrodite, and in a way you can't possibly comprehend. See, that pain you're feeling right now? That's not a _shadow_ in comparison to what I went through because of you." I tried to contain my temper around the injured goddess, but I was failing badly. In the end I simply shut up and waited for us to reach our floor.

-A-

The elevator bell signaled our arrival, and the door opened to the observation deck. Aphrodite attempted to push herself away from the wall but let out another groan of pain. I shook my head and did the only thing that came to mind: I offered her my arm.

She nodded her thanks and took it as I assisted her out and sat her down on one of the benches. The deck was deserted, and the barest hints of dawn were starting to peak over the horizon.

I stood back and folded my arms, waiting for her to speak.

"There was never a vendetta to begin with, you know, between Artemis and me. At first I only saw the one being in all creation that needed my help most. I saw someone whose cruel fate stopped them from feeling love. Artemis is the greatest romantic tragedy of all. I also pity you in the same way, and so I came to say that…I'm sorry."

_More gods apologizing, what's the world coming to?_

I stared at her in silence. Then I answered, "Accepted. Now take it back."

Aphrodite frowned. "Take what back?"

I clenched my teeth angrily. "Whatever it was you did to me and Aren!"

The goddess stared at me, and her eyes widened in shock. "_Oh!_ That is so _adorable_! The two little Hunters in love. You know what they say; like mother like son!" For a moment she sounded quite giddy.

"Aphrodite…" I said warningly.

The goddess sighed. "Of course. By way of apology I'll tell you how to break it. See, since it's just a minor echo of the power of love, all you need to do is break the tension."

Aren and I glanced at each other. "What do you mean, 'break the tension'?"

Aphrodite ran her uninjured hand across her jaw in thought. "With a pair of adult mortals I'd normally say go all the way, but I think between you two kids a kiss should be more than sufficient."

Aren gasped in shock, her face turning that impossible shade of red again. "You can't be serious!"

Aphrodite scowled. "Oh, come on! How old are you, _eight?_ It's not like I'm telling you to lose your virginity or anything."

Aren gasped and I snapped, "I should damn well think not!"

Aphrodite giggled. "Sorry, sorry, forgot how stubborn you Hunters are over the whole maidenhood thing."

"Can't you just, you know, wave your hand or something and make it go away?" I asked.

"Nope, sorry, you have to break the spell for yourselves. I'm the _love goddess_. If there's a falling _out_ of love goddess, then I suggest you go crying to _her_, or you could just do as I say."

She was probably lying, but I sensed this was the best I was going to get out of her. "Fine then…"

Aphrodite smiled. "_Good, _now make it a nice deep one!"

"_Careful_…" I muttered, and the goddess went silent. I turned to Aren ,who was blushing and wound tighter than a coiled spring. "…Right, I'm pretty sure I know how this goes," I said, unable to prevent my own cheeks glowing beet red.

_Just get it over with, like taking off a band-aid. Gods, she is cute though… Alright, THAT'S IT!_

I grasped her by the shoulders and she gasped in shock. "Sorry about this, Aren…"

"'t's okay…" she whispered. I was vaguely aware of Aphrodite watching with excitement.

I shook my head at the silliness of the situation and leaned in closer to her. Her breaths were short and slightly panicked. I could smell her sweet scent, like lotus and apples. Then I brushed her trembling lips with my own.

Her breath caught, and for the span of a heartbeat she kissed me back, a low whimper escaping from the back of her throat.

A moment later (at least I think it was a moment) we pulled away from one another. I coughed nervously and we both turned away in utter embarrassment.

"That was _so_ sweet! You really should count _that_ as your first kiss, and not the one I gave you," she said seriously, as if she were giving me sage, profound advice.

I paused for a second and rounded on her as it hit me. "What's the big idea, Aphrodite? I don't feel different at all!"

Aren swung about too. "Me neither! What's going on?"

Aphrodite shrugged her one uninjured shoulder. "Hey, that only broke the _spell_ that ensured you fell in love. It didn't erase the memory of it _or _your feelings for one another. The only difference now is you have a better degree of control over them."

I gasped in exasperation. "Then what was the point of us kissing, then?"

"Well for one, like I said, it was a _very _sweet moment."

I clenched a fist. "Apollo always says to never hit a woman, but you are bringing me _very_ close to it, Lady!"

Aphrodite sighed. "If you're that intent on not being together, then you should just spend some time apart. Perhaps your feelings will fade, or perhaps not. I'm not the goddess of prophecy, after all, you'd best check with Apollo on that."

The annoying thing was, I both did and _didn't _want those feelings to fade, and I could tell Aren was in the same conundrum.

I went silent for a moment to settle myself down, letting the calm song of the wild sooth my mind. "I suppose it's time we departed, then."

"I hope I was of some help."

I shook my head as Aren and I walked away. "Sure, Aphrodite, tons of help…" suddenly I squeaked to a halt, as I felt there was one thing that had to be addressed."You are wrong about something, though, Aphrodite."

"Oh, and what's that, my cutie?"

My hand unconsciously went to the spot where I swore I could still feel my mother's tears. "The truly cruel thing, about Artemis and me, I mean, is not that we don't feel love. No, the really cruel thing is…we do."

-A-

My mother was waiting just outside the elevator with her Hunters. Percy, Annabeth and Clarisse were there, too.

Aren left my side to rejoin her sisters, and the three half-bloods crossed over to join me. "Did you find out what you needed to know?" my mother asked.

I glanced at Aren and back again. "More or less. It would appear it's time we parted company once again."

Artemis nodded. "It would seem that way. I wish you luck with the council."

I nodded. "I'm sure it's nothing," I said, backing onto the elevator with the other half-bloods and bidding the Hunters farewell. "Love you mom, see ya 'round!" I waved as the doors closed, and she was gone again.

_And the last word goes to me… _

My finger froze. I pulled it back from the ground floor button as I suddenly realized that it was the first time I'd ever said those words to her. I smiled.

_I'm sure she'll reprimand me accordingly at our next encounter for embarrassing her like that…_

-A-

I had been looking forward to a nice long trek though the forest on the way back to camp, but Annabeth had insisted we take a cab, which, quite frankly, took all the fun out of it. Although she made a valid argument when she reminded us we'd been fighting all day and been up all night. I had forgotten, to be honest.

It's funny how long a single day can seem…

-A-

_Meanwhile…_

Nico drummed his fingers against the black marble of his father's throne. The room was oddly peaceful, as the lord of the dead himself, oddly enough, was nowhere to be seen.

Nico flinched as the great doors were suddenly thrown open. In crawled, on his hands and knees, a very battered-, beaten-, burned- and _bruised-_ looking Hades.

"Father!" Nico shouted and bolted to the god's side. "What happened?"

"Nico. Nico, Nico, oh _dearest_ Nico, child of mine. Oh _precious_ fruit of mine loins, Oh apple of my eye…" Hades droned, sounding half-delirious.

Nico backed away. There were few things scarier than Hades being mad at you. One was him being _nice_ to you.

"W-what?"

"Next time you find yourself with some simply _must-_have information that I simply _must _hear about, or some great indignation that you're sure I simply _must _know about, do me a favor, would you?"

"What?"

"KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!" he spat, and dragged himself up into his throne. "Now, where's Persephone? I'm in dire need of a neck rub."

"B-but, dad, it's spring. Persephone won't be back for months."

Hades groaned. "Oh, so it is. Well, Nico, good news…"

Nico backed up a step nervously. "What?"

"Today daddy gets to teach you another new skill."

Nico's face paled even more than usual. It seemed it was comeuppance all around today…

-A-

I left Orion's spear in Cabin Eight, beside my bed and thankfully avoided any great hero's welcome. I simply wanted to tie up my loose ends. I got a few hours sleep to set my body-clock back on almost normal time and awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my cabin door.

_One of these days I'm going to wake up of my own accord…_

Annabeth was waiting outside. She didn't look like the world was ending, which was always good. "The council has gathered. Are you ready to go?"

I yawned and stretched my arms. "Yeah, don't see why not, let's go see what I've done this time…"

-A-

The stroll through the forest roused me as it normally would, but it was oddly intense here. Annabeth led me through a path marked by a twin row of ancient trees. The nature felt odd in this place. It wasn't like my mother's; hers was more to do with the environment and the wild beasts. This was something _old._ It was in the trees, the earth and the grass in the very natural substance around me. This was a different kind of nature. Not unpleasant, just _different_…

I emerged into a glade; the sun was bright and high in the sky. I had to squint to get my eyes to adjust.

We were not alone.

In fact, the glade was positively packed. The outsides were lined with satyrs of different ages and sizes. There were numerous tree and water nymphs chattering excitedly amongst themselves. At the head of the glade stood the satyr named Grover, whom I'd seen earlier. He wore a strange robe that seemed to be made of moss and leaves, which looked oddly formal in spite of its composition. He had his arm entwined with that of a small wood nymph who was chatting happily with some of her kin.

The satyr himself was deep in conversation with Percy, who seemed to be excitedly reiterating something to him whilst Grover listened with rapt attention.

Chiron was there, too. He was talking to an elderly satyr. The atmosphere was very excited.

I coughed once and silence swept the clearing like a blanket. I suddenly saw a mop of long chocolate hair sweep through the crowd and do its best to tackle me to the ground.

I skidded back a foot and glanced down to find Lya, the wood nymph whose tree I occasionally frequented, with her head buried in my chest and her arms wrapped around my midsection.

She was wearing a strange long, flowing dress and had a circlet made of flowers on her head.

After a moment of hugging she looked up at me with green tears in her brown eyes.

_Oh, gods, what've I done that I don't understand now?_

"I was so worried about you," she whimpered. "You didn't even drop by to say goodbye when you left!" She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

I did suddenly feel bad. She was quite a brave little thing, and I suppose she's the best friend that I had amongst the nymphs. "Sorry, Lya, it was sort of an emergency, but I was only gone for a day."

"Felt like forever…" she mumbled, still not letting go.

"I'm sorry. Well I'm here now, 'kay?" I said, rubbing a chlorophyll tear from her cheek.

She nodded once, and Grover coughed for attention. I glanced up to realize everyone in the glade was standing in formed lines as if they were in church or something. "Armani Dove, Lya, approach…" he said, beckoning us closer. Lya melted away from me and slid around to my side, hooking her arm into my own.

I took a step forward-

_Run!_

I froze dead… Did my instinct just-

_I'm telling you! RUN!_

I shook my head to clear it and glanced around for a source of danger. There was nothing I could see, so why was something deep inside telling me that it would be best if I were bolting in the opposite direction like my pants were on fire and the water was that way?

I forced it down and my instinct let out what can only be called a defeated groan as I took another step forward, trepidation in my heart. The sinking feeling was back.

I suddenly noticed a familiar face, sitting in a chair that looked like it was made entirely out of vines. "Lord Dionysus?" I asked, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

The god just smirked. "I took some time out, just so I could catch this very moment. Got my camera and everything," he said, lifting up what appeared to indeed be a small Fuji camera.

Sinking deeper…

I took a steadying breath and turned to Grover. Lya was excitedly rocking back and forth with her arm around mine. I couldn't help but notice some of the other satyrs grumbling, as if disapproving or jealous of something. The other Nymphs all appeared to be in various stages of teary-eyed awe.

_What did I just walk into?_

"Armani Dove, it has come to our attention that you have been dodging your responsibility and neglecting your duties," Grover spoke up.

I frowned. "But I just got back. I've been very dutiful, all saving lives and fighting monsters and _everything._"

"Not that!" Lya snapped. "Your other responsibility!"

"What other responsibility?"

"Wait! Wait, I've gotta turn my camera on, just give me a sec!" Dionysus said, holding a hand up as he fiddled with the device. "Stupid mortal- oh, there we go, carry on."

Lya frowned, "Me, of course!"

One of my eyebrows shot up involuntarily. "Say wha-?"

Dionysus was holding up his camera. "No, not yet…"

Grover coughed for attention again and I turned back to him. "Armani Dove, is it not true that you did ask this here Nymph to lay with her in the sacred branches of her tree?"

_I suppose I did…_

"Umm, _yes_?"

Grover nodded. "_Good_, and did you not receive upon your person the symbol of her reciprocation?"

Up went that eyebrow again. "The _what_ of her _what_?"

"He means that first braid," Dionysus said from behind his camera. "…Just say yes, _say yes,_" he said excitedly.

_Okay…_

"Ah, yes, I did at that."

Grover nodded and I felt Lya tighten her grip on my arm. "Good, good. And now, did you not, Armani Dove, offer to allow her to lay, by your own request, her symbol of claim upon your person?"

I opened my mouth, but again had no answer, so I glanced at Dionysus, who was still grinning from behind his camera. "He means did you _ask_ her to braid your hair in return, _again_."

I glanced at the second braid, curious as to why they would make such a big thing of hair adornments. "I suppose I…" I paused as I suddenly noticed Grover's short hair had been twisted into two short braids as well. "-_huh_, so they got you too, did they?"

Grover glanced up at his hair and down at the Nymph who was happily hugging him. They smiled warmly at one another. "She sure did…Now, if you please-"

I inclined my head. "Yeah, I did, is it import-" I was cut off as Grover suddenly spoke up.

"It was heard, in front of all present: the claim was made and was in turn accepted. Acting in place of the disbanded council, I utilize my power to make it official, and so it is done." He withdrew a pair of pipes from his robes and blew a long note. A tiny stream of vine wound its way up my arm and tied it together to that of the Nymph, who was now beaming the most brilliant smile I've ever seen, including Apollo's. A tiny bud formed at the point where we were joined, then grew and blossomed into a dazzling rainbow-colored rose.

There were awed _ooh's_ and _ahh's_ amongst the council, and more tear wiping.

_Okay… I hope this wraps up the whole braiding thing._

I suddenly realized I couldn't move away from her now. I glanced pleadingly up at Dionysus, who was still doing his Cheshire Cat impression. "Any moment- _oh_, you have to undo it and tie it around her arm," he said, twirling a hand about in the air to mimic it.

"Fine…All seems a bit much for a simple… _I don't know_," I said. I carefully untangled the vine from around us and tied it around her upper arm in a bow.

Lya stared down at it with fresh green tears in her eyes; it was quite a fetching ornament on her, I had to admit.

I glanced back at Grover. "And now?"

Grover put his pipes away. "And thus the ceremony is concluded! May your winters be mild and your springtime bountiful!"

I glanced about. "So, _what_, we're done?"

"Yup…" Dionysus said, his smile becoming a dark smirk. "…You're done, all right."

As if his words had broken some kind of spell, a great cheer suddenly went up from within the glade as the various assembled beings clapped happily.

I suddenly felt myself twirled around as Lya jumped up, using my shoulders for support, and gave me my third kiss in as many days. She entwined her small arms behind my head to hold herself up as a series of 'ooh's and catcalls went up around. "I'm so happy" she whispered, her eyes had become even tearier, if that were possible.

I, for one, was bewildered. "That's nice…"

Lya smiled, and I was glad when she finally placed herself back down on the ground, but still settled on hugging onto me like she was sharing a liver or something.

"Congratulations, man!" Percy said, patting me happily on the shoulder.

I stared at him blankly. "For what?"

"It was the first time I'd ever seen it, but Grover was right, it really was cool to watch!"

"_What _was?" I snapped angrily.

Percy flinched. "You know, getting _married._"

"What do you-" suddenly every neuron in my brain ground to a shuddering halt as a million puzzle pieces clicked together.

_Oh, sweet merciful Zeus…_

I'm not sure what happened afterwards, but the last thing I remember before passing out was a camera flash going off somewhere in the background.

_fin…_

_-XA-_

[A/N] And so our tale comes to a close, I thank you all for reading and special thanks to Shrrgnien for her awesome beta work and managing the impossible and ironing out the kinks for this entire fic. And so, until we meet again, I bid thee adieu…

To be continued in Broken Bow Book 3: Counterpart

I'll see you then…


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